Region 5 Championships.......Moving In Part 2

Part 1

Getting the yearling colt into his new stall was another thing. He'd never seen portable barns before and the way the sun was shining that stall must have looked like a black hole ready to swallow him up. He planted his feet at least five feet outside that doorway and refused to move.

I teach all of my horses to go forward. That's my basic for just about everything. If I can get them forward, I can get them into and through just about anything. The way Rhet was looking at this new stall might just test this theory to its limits.

I swatted Rhet lightly on the hip with the popper on the end of his lead rope. The colt didn't even flinch. He just stood there locked in some kind of trance staring at the black hole. I'm pretty sure by now he'd totally forgotten I was even there. All he could think of was what might be lurking in those shadows.
Me, all I could think of was the heat radiating off that sand. Leave it to Rhet to decide to be obstinate on a day with record breaking temperatures. I needed to get him into that stall before the heat claimed me as its victim.

The last thing I wanted was my concern about the heat to affect this horse. He already had his own ideas about the stall without my tension over the heat adding to it so I took a deep breath and tried not to think about the sweat already running into my eyes.

I also thought about Harvey Jacobs. What would he do to get this horse into the stall. Maybe a little bit of pressure on his face might also help moving this horse forward. Since my early work with Rhet involved a lot of "giving" to pressure, he might be "receptive" to that kind of request.

So I asked Rhet again to enter the stall. This time I tapped him with the popper and at the same time applied some pressure to the lead. This time, at least, I got a look from the horse. He didn't go in but he was aware that I wanted something. That was a good place to start. I decided to use that on build on it so I rewarded the horse with a release.

The next time I asked him, I used a bit more pressure both from behind and on the lead. This time the horse took a small step forward and was immediately rewarded with the release of pressure. That release was followed by a big sigh and before you know it, I had Rhet in that stall.

However, that wasn't the end of it. As quickly as the horse went he, he exited. I didn't even have a chance to turn around and he'd already vacated the premises.

It was time for another deep breath from me before I asked Rhet to enter the stall once more. I also took advantage of the shade in the stall for just a minute to wipe the sweat from my face before I returned back out into the sun.

Rhet stood there outside the stall looking at me in the stall like I was some kind of crazy (then there are those who would tell you that crazy I am). The colt seemed to be quite interested in why I was still standing in that dark hole. Maybe it wasn't so bad in there after all. The next time I asked Rhet to enter the stall, he walked right in and this time he stayed. Although he wasn't sure how he felt about me closing that door on him.

To be continued................

Settling In......Rhet's Way



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Region 5 Championships.......Moving In

Part 1

The weather during that time was the warmest yet of our summer. With temperatures is the high 80s when I arrived at the Evergreen Fairgrounds in Monroe, I could see the waves of heat rising off the asphalt. I was hoping to get my colt moved into a stall and out of that hot horse trailer before the hottest part of the day. However, since I was post entering my horse, we hadn't even been assigned a stall yet. I'd have to find the barn manager to get a place to go.

I parked my truck and horse trailer outside the facility in the approved lot and headed for the show office. That was the place I would most likely find the barn manager or someone who knew how to find him.

On the way I ran into a friend setting up her vendor booth. Our relationship has been strained for a while. She wanted to talk about it. I wanted to get my horse settled.......but I didn't want to brush her off either. I wanted things resolved. Yet, her words seemed to get lost in my thoughts of Rhet standing, sweating in my hot horse trailer. I made my apologies and moved on. We never did really get to talk about "it" after that............I wish that hadn't been the case.

Once at the show office, management made it clear if I wasn't entered, I wouldn't be assigned a stall. My horse would have to wait until they got through my paperwork. I was glad that the show was underway because there were no others waiting in line to enter. At least I wouldn't have to wait through that to get my horse entered.

I was glad I was prepared. My entry form was complete with all of the appropriate signatures signed......except that of my handler. I had copies of my cards and the colt's papers and my check already filled out for a scary, scary amount. I couldn't even wrap my mind around that amount for just one class but I had it all ready, right there in my hand. I tried to be patient while they processed my entry but all I could think about was Rhet standing in that hot trailer.

The barn manager arrived just as the assistant finished processing my paperwork. He showed me a map and pointed me to my stall. Being a late entry we'd be stalled in the portables. but then I had expected that. I headed back out into the heat and off to rescue my colt.

The gate man pointed me in a direction and I pulled my rig onto the showgrounds. I had an idea in my mind where I was going but it had been years since I'd shown at this facility. As I got closer to the bank of portable barns where Rhet was to be housed, I couldn't "see" a good place to park my rig. Instead I pulled on around the next real barn and found a place under some trees to park my rig. That way Rhet could have a little shade while I bedded his stall.

I unloaded my wheel barrow and rake and headed around the other side of my truck and nearly walked right into "the stallion owner." I was invisible to her.........but that way ok. I'll take invisible over a scene any day but it felt like an omen about the week. These grounds weren't going to be big enough to avoid the uncomfortableness I felt.

When I got to the portable stall assigned to us, I looked it over carefully. Portable stabling isn't always the safest.......and if there was a way to find some thing to get hurt, Rhet would be the horse to do it. The portable barn had been set-up on sand. All the edges inside the stall seemed to be smooth and there didn't appear to be any loose ends sticking up so I thought we were good.

The shavings bunker was right in front of the portable barn. That was convenient but there were very little shavings left. I quickly scrapped together as many as I could to bed the colt's stall as thickly as possible One thing I knew about Rhet at horse shows, he'd be digging. Keeping him clean with that dusty sand underneath was going to be difficult.

Once the stall was bedded, I went back to the horse trailer and retrieved buckets and some hay. Knowing Rhet and the way he'd behaved at Region 4 I needed everything in place before I put the colt in his stall. Otherwise he'd be trying to escape while I was trying to fill his water and get him food. After the colt was in that stall I wanted him undisturbed for a while so he could get a chance to settle.

When everything was ready I went to get Rhet. I led him through the cross aisle of the permanent barn. The whole time I wondered how he'd behave with such pressure. He'd never been in a building with so many aisles, let alone so many horses and people. I hoped I was setting myself up for a big wreck.

Rhet, however, behaved like a perfect gentleman. Curious about these new surroundings, the colt did plenty of looking but not once, did he do anything inappropriate. I was pretty impressed. The colt who used to drag me where ever I tried to take him is definitely growing up.

To be continued..........

Moving In Part 2


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The Region 5 Championships.....Planning

Part 1

With the problem of finding a handler solved, other issues arose. Melanie had now changed her mind about showing so I would be the only one going from our barn. Part of my decision to take Rhet had been made thinking there would be others from the barn available to help.

With a colt like Rhet, being without help was just not a good option. There was no way I could get the colt bathed, clipped and groomed by myself. Richard said he would come up by Friday. With Rhet's class not until Saturday night, that still gave me time to get everything I needed done without leaving it all until the last minute. I'm a long term planner.......and being well prepared is important to me.

There are lots of halter horses who don't "hang out" at the show because their owners/handlers think it tires them out. Since Arabian horses are expected to show on the hot side, the horses are brought in not long before they're scheduled to show.

I thought Jesse would be coming in sometime on Friday. If Rhet were "normal" having him settled in before Jesse arrived would have been easy. However, I already know that Rhet looses his brain when he's moved. His first few days at Region 4 had been a disaster. He was never going to settle in in a couple of hours.........he might not settle in a couple of days.

I was going to have to leave for the show asap if I expected the colt to have his brain back enough to handle all of this. It wasn't going to be like Region 4 where the colt had six days to figure things out. It was now Tuesday afternoon and the colt showed on Saturday. Even moving in on Wednesday, I'd be lucky if he'd regained enough sense by the time Jesse arrived.

There was another thing stirring around in the back of my head. I've not shown at the Region 5 Championships since they moved the show to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. I made it clear when the show committee talked about making this change, it was not one I would support. I don't like that arena and I believe the horses don't like it much either. Because of that I've done my showing elsewhere. Showing

Then there was the anonymous comment I'd received on one of my posts Selling Horses that was less than favorable. The comment made it clear that the stallion owner was making sure that everyone knew her side of the story, which believe me, is far different tham mine. I knew the stallion owner would be at Region 6. Going to this show was going to feel like walking into enemy territory.......and for more reasons than just these.

Being alone is not something I have ever done well. Being alone somewhere I don't feel welcome is something I do even worse. It was going to be a long hard couple of days. But I bit the bullet and loaded up my stuff.

By first thing Wednesday morning I was ready to go. I just waited long enough for the worst of the rush hour traiffic to be over before I headed down the road to Monroe and the Region 5 All Arabian Horse Championships.

To be continued.................

Moving In



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Still Waiting..............

Part 1

Wouldn't you just know it. I missed Robin Hopkinson's call when she did call me back. As it turned out, the other colt was in great condition but her message said she and Sandro Pinha would try to help me find another handler if that's what I wanted. Of course, I immediately called her back leaving her the message that any help would be appreciated. I wouldn't show my colt if I couldn't find a handler.

As it's been mentioned in the comments all the waiting to find out if I had a handler or not was stressful. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride with no end in sight. The date for the Region 5 All Arabian Horse Championships just kept getting closer and closer and I wasn't any closer to having a handler than when I'd first started looking.

I knew that Cheryl Fletcher from Silver Aspen Ranch who had shown Rhet at the Region 4 Championships already had a colt for Region 5. She'd given me that information when she first agreed to show Rhet in Region 4. I'd asked her to let me know if she had any ideas of who might show Rhet also. I felt like I had all the eyes and ears possible I could working on this thing. If it was meant to be, it would happen.......otherwise, I was going to quit sweating it.

The Region 5 show had started and I was over at Richard's working horses. We were talking about my plans for nationals which were still pretty "iffy." Like....if I couldn't get a handler for Region 5, what made me think I could get one for nationals..........kind of iffy. Along with would I have the money for entries.......etc. Everything was really up in the air.

I wondered if Jesse Saldana had a colt to take to nationals. If he didn't would he lead Rhet now that he's seen him. From there it went to making a phone call to check in with Jesse and maybe feel things out.

Richard played it cool. When he got Jesse on the phone he didn't jump right in there with his question. Instead he let Jesse ask what was going on in his life. Richard's answer was "Not much since we hadn't found a handler to lead "his" colt (Can we insert here, I always laugh when Richard refers to him as "his" colt?).

Jesse's response to that statement was he was coming to Region 5. "What day did the colt show?" Would you believe the yearling colt's class was the last day of the horse show, the last class of the day? Jesse said he'd check with his wife to see if his airline ticket could be changed and give us a call back.

Now, I know what you're thinking........waiting again. This darn show is already in progress. How much more time is there to wait? But this time the call came in less than an hour. Jesse's ticket was changed and I had a handler for my colt.

There were a few details to be worked out. Jesse wanted to know when Richard would be there. When would my colt be on the grounds? The only real draw back to this whole plan was with the post entry fees....talk about sticker shock. Between them and the fee for Jesse I didn't really have the money to take both horses. For the first time in a long time, I'd be leaving Legs at home.

Then, wouldn't you just know it, within an hour I got a call from Robin Hopkinson. She was checking in with me to see if I had a handler yet. It was nice to see her follow through........and it made me laugh just a bit. I had no handler and I had sweated it for three weeks. Then suddenly I had multiples. Funny how things work out sometimes.

To be continued..........

Planning



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Where to Go from Here.....

After the Region 4 All Arabian Horse Championships I still wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do as far as nationals was concerned. I'd had an idea in my mind how my colt should do being led by a big name handler but since that didn't happen, I really wasn't sure what to think.

Then there was the issue of my western horse. I'd won a top five in the select rider division and placed sixth on the cards in the amateur division despite the fact my horse was still not going the way I thought he should be. Instead of having answers all I had was more questions.

Melanie from the barn was really wanting to go to the Region 5 Championships but she didn't want to go alone. She was pressing me to show there as well. Richard said if I went he would go also to be there to support us. Also wanting me to attend that show were the breeders of my colt. The wheels began to turn with the possibilities.

Finally I told Melanie I would go as long as I could get a big name handler for my colt. Doing so at the last minute was probably a long shot but at least I would try.

Charlie from the barn told me of a breeder who was flying in one of the big boys (Sandro Pinha) to show her filly. She was also looking for other horses for him to lead. I promised I'd give her a call Monday morning and let her know I was looking for a catch lead.

I did make that call Monday morning only to learn there was another colt ahead of mine. The woman, however, had seen my colt show at Region 4 and she thought the handler would be pleased to lead him. She'd give Sandro a call and I'd have to wait for his answer.

I thought I'd have an answer in a few days but it actually took a couple of weeks. Sandro was showing at other regional shows like most of the BNHs. When I did get the answer it was a "yes" and I was ecstatic. Having a handler like Sandro Pinha on the end of my lead should give me the answers I sought.

My excitement was short lived. Just a few hours later, I got another call telling me to hold my entries, there might be a problem. Again I waited.

When the call finally came, I got an apology from Sandro Pinha. His employers had a client whose colt they wanted him to lead. I understood his predicament and I'd look further for a handler. The woman gave me the names of a couple she knew were going to be at Region 5 for sure.

The first of those was Robin Hopkinson. When I called her, she told me Sandro Pinha had already talked to her about my colt. It was nice to know that he was trying to help me find a handler. It said lots for his integrity and something about my colt as well.

Robin also told me she tentatively had a colt too. She had an appointment to check the colt's condition. If it was good, then she would be showing that colt. Otherwise she'd be happy to lead mine. So again, I waited...........

To be continued............

Still Waiting



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The Visit to the Vet

All that day before the vet appointment, poor Sugar lay in a heap. It was obvious to all this puppy was not feeling well. Even Delilah was worried about the puppy and how quiet she was. The husky hovered over the boxer like a mother hen.

When we took Sugar into the vet's office she was instantly the talk of the place. For the first time since these hives had started she began to show some signs of interest in what was happening around her. There was a half grown boxer puppy in the waiting room and Sugar really wanted to visit. Her little tail was wagging ninety miles an hour.

Between the people who worked in the clinic and those in the waiting room, Sugar didn't have any time to visit with other dogs. She was too busy meeting all of these new people extending their hands in her direction.

I felt better just seeing Sugar come to life. She'd acted so sickly at home it had really worried me. Her reaction to the stimuli in the office gave me a little semblance of hope. Now if we could find a simple explanation for the hives maybe things could go back to normal.

I could tell from the vet's expression when she walked into the room she hadn't expected to see a puppy the size of Sugar having issues with hives. I could see the concern flash across her face at the realization such a young puppy was already having such issues. Believe me it wasn't anything I hadn't already thought of.


It took the vet a minute to readjust her thinking to what she saw in this room. She confirmed my observation when she made the comment she'd expected to see a half grown pup covered in welts. Seeing nine week old Sugar worried her a bit.

The whole time she was taking Sugar's history, the vet was running her hands over Sugar's coat. I know she was checking for fleas, and I was really hoping she'd find them. Having this reaction be from something unknown was going to be a huge challenge.

By the time the vet was updated with everything that had happened, including what doses of Benadryl had been administered and Sugar's response, the woman still hadn't found any fleas in Sugar's coat. But halfway through the explanation of allergy tests followed by shots to desensitize the puppy, a culprit was finally located.

I can tell you I am not the only one that sighed a huge sigh of relief. I've never been so happy to see a flea in my life. The vet was just as relieved as me. Of course, she probably understood the prognosis for a puppy Sugar's age requiring allergy treatments.

But treating a flea allergy was easy compared to all that other stuff. Sugar was given a pill immediately that killed all the adult fleas within a matter of minutes. The following morning I would administer Frontline and as long as she didn't have a reaction to that, we would be good to go. Well, that and bombing the house and treating Delilah and the cats.

Sugar hasn't had to have another dose of Benadryl since that morning before we went to the vet. We'll have to watch closely to stay ahead of the flea issue around our house but at least for now, my puppy is back to her sweet happy self..............well, I doubt that Delilah would call her sweet but then I'm sure that the husky is happy to have her buddy back, even if the boxer does play too rough sometimes.

All I can say is that first week was one heck of a ride. I'm glad it's over! Oh and I forgot to mention the vet check just before I got Sugar she weighed 11.9 pounds. At the vet appointment for hives, she weighed 14.6 pounds. I swear she grows right as I'm looking at her.




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More with the New Puppy

The first week with the new puppy felt more like a month. Sugar and Delilah were having a great time but we, humans, acting as referees were plum tuckered out. The only time there was any rest was at bedtime and that's because we split the two puppies up so we all could get some sleep.

I took Sugar into the bedroom with me even though I've never been one to allow a pets in the room with me at night. I didn't want to screw up our crate training by locking the new puppy in her crate before she was ready to be there. Instead I had her sleeping on the bed with me.

I kept her leash on her and wrapped the other end around my arm. That way if the puppy stirred at all, she'd wake me. It worked pretty well and I only had to get up with her once in the middle of the night and then once in the early morning. We had no accidents and I got more rest than I would have had we kept the two puppies in the same room.

The sixth night Sugar had a restless night. It started off ok but sometime in the middle she couldn't get comfortable and seemed to be repositioning herself a lot. By morning she was even whimpering a bit. I turned on the light to find the poor puppy was covered from head to toe in hives. No wonder Sugar was so miserable.

Dave was going to take her to the vet when their office opened while I went to work horses. Then he got called to a job interview just as I was getting ready to leave. Since the vet probably wouldn't have time to see her until afternoon, we stuck with our original plan..........only life intervened just a bit!

No, the puppy didn't get worse. My truck broke down on the way to Richard's. I never did make it to work horses that day. By the time we got back home, the now outside puppy didn't have any sign of hives. She looked like a happy puppy once again.

I took her into the house with me and within a couple of hours she was again broke out in hives. I took her back outside to see what might happen then and before long the hives were retreating again. It looked pretty clear that something in the house was at the root of the mystery.

I suspected she was getting bit by something but couldn't find a flea on her anywhere. A call to the vet gave us the right amount of Benadryl to make Sugar comfortable until we could get her to the first available appointment the following afternoon.

It was a long night. The Benadryl relieved the hives but only for a few hours. Not wanting to give her more than had been advised we were waiting eight hours for the next dose. By then the puppy was already miserable again. Not only that but it was obvious she just was not feeling well.

My once happy puppy was curled up in a little ball zoned out on drugs...........poor baby. I was beginning to wonder what kind of a life this would be for her, if this wasn't something easy.....

To be continued............




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Les Vogt on Western Curb Bits

I was looking through YouTube for western classes and somehow this video popped up in my search. Since understanding bits can make most horsemen I know crazy, I thought it might be helpful to post this.

While Les Vogt is "selling" his Performa Biting System the theory is all the same. The amount of leverage directly affects the height of the horse's head AND the severity of the port directly affects "stop."

My selection of curb bits is limited. I have what Les Vogt would probably call a 1, 2 and 3 on mouth pieces. However, I probably have all two's on leverage. To totally round out my bit collection so I would have a bit to fit "any" horse, I would need to add all three mouth pieces in both a 1 and a 3 shank to more and less leverage respectively.

If you're confused, you're not alone. Many people don't really understand what is more and what is less, let alone what's the right thing for their horse. For me, I'm thinking I need a 2 mouth piece with a 1 shank piece, which, of course, I don't own!




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Sugar Comes to Rising Rainbow Arabians

As you can imagine the most difficult part about bringing the new puppy home was the "old" puppy. At six months old Delilah is huge and still has some issues when she gets excited. Actually that's being kind, Delilah still looses her brain whenever she gets wound up. Naturally adding a new puppy to the family was going to wind Delilah up.

There was just no easy way to do it. It's not like I could introduce the puppy for just a few minutes then take her back. It was kind of a sink or swim kind of thing............Delilah thought Sugar should sink.........and Sugar thought Delilah should get over it.........she was taking over.

So my Dear Sweet Darling Delilah once again turned into the Devil Dog! She forgot all of her commands....either that or she was just plain flipping us off. Either way, our house would have been a war zone if I didn't have a plan.

Delilah is still dragging a leash with her where ever she goes........that helped.........LOTS! Thanks again, Holly, for the tip! And, THANKFULLY, Delilah loved the new puppy from the first second she laid eyes on her. The only problem, Delilah wanted to play.................her way! which just happened to be way too much for the eight week old Sugar.

Now it's not that Sugar didn't want to play, she did, every bit as much as Delilah. The problem was Delilah's thirty something pounds compared to Sugar's eleven. We were afraid Delilah was going to pounce on Sugar and flatter her like a pancake. The last thing I needed was a smushed boxer.

Then there was HOW Delilah wanted to play. She can't help it, that's how Siberian huskies play.........the rougher, the better. I had visions of Delilah ripping Sugar from stem to stern all in the name of good clean fun.

Sooooooooo, for the first few days we wrestled with Delilah every time the puppies wanted to play. I made Delilah lay down to play. There was no playing if Delilah was not prone on the floor.

As you can imagine keeping Delilah down wasn't easy. I felt like I was wrestling a gorilla most of the time. Getting the dog down was only part of the battle, keeping her there was the real trick. Stay is a command that Delilah thinks means "just for a moment" not "until I say otherwise." Most of the time I was lathered in sweat.......but the puppies played and Delilah learned a new word, "easy." Now if she can just learn what it means.

Of course, Sugar is way too smart for her britches. It didn't take her long to figure out that Delilah was getting into trouble for getting up. So Sugar went out of her way to do things to cause Delilah to chase her. Delilah would get snatched mid air pulling her back to her down position and Sugar would laugh her way all around the house. There was no doubt about the little proud of myself face on that boxer!

But Delilah didn't care about Sugar's tricks. She was happy to get any kind of contact with the boxer puppy at all. Delilah practically grinned as Sugar grabbed her jowls and hung on. Then she'd burst after Sugar. When we'd finally get her back into her down position, taking a wrestling match to do so , she'd reach up and nudge us as if to say, But look Mom, she really wants to play!"

To be continued...........



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Sugar Pie, Sugar Sugar and Sugarland........

I know you must be wondering what in the heck I was thinking........ Oldies but goodies for my wordless Wednesday post. However, this is not the first time Wordless Wednesday has reverted to the very old hit parade with a hidden clue I've had to explain later. It just so happens I pulled this stunt the last time I disclosed the name of a new puppy.

Of course, I had to explain then Friday's Take on What Happened on Wordless Wednesday just as I'm explaining now. However, then I'd already given a bit more information about the new puppy in my life. Those multiple posts about the husky puppy before she was named were because it took me forever to come up with a name.

I'm known for being the queen of slow when it comes to names........horse names......puppy names it really doesn't matter...... This time, however, was different. Before the puppy even came home I had ideas floating around in my head........or maybe I should say songs playing in my head........well, and Lindsay's head too. Those two videos appeared because each of us had a different song singing away in our little pea brains.

Lindsay, you might recall, was the culprit for the choice of Delilah as the name for the Siberian husky. Maybe it was after Lindsay heard Tom Jones singing Delilah and the name stuck that the idea of songs having significance for puppy names began to brew. Whatever it was whenever I thought about names for this sweet golden puppy, I ended up thinking about songs.

Listening to the radio on the way home from Richard's one evening, I struggled with this darn naming thing. Then Sugarland filled my truck with All I Want to do wo wo wo wo

Who'd have thought a puppy name could have started there. With all the stuff that's been going down lately all I want to do wo wo wo wo is love on my puppy and forget the rest of the world. So it seemed only logical that somehow I should be able to tie that sentiment into the naming of this sweet girl.

Sugarland wasn't going to cut it, but golden brown "sugar" just happened to be the color of this girl's coat. The wheels began to turn. I mentioned it to Lindsay and the next thing you know she had a song swimming in her head..............that's where the Sugar Sugar came in. I, on the other hand, was found myself singing the lyrics to Sugar Pie Honey Bunch which just happen to tickle this puppy so.

Now to be honest, Sugar doesn't really care which song we serenade her with, she just loves us singing to her. She thinks she's one special puppy when we break out into song and point it her direction. So "Sugar" it is............now I still need to figure out a registered name.

Just in case you're wondering, Delilah really loves being sung to as well. For some reason the sound of her name in song makes her a happy puppy as well. Tomorrow I promise to post about Sugar's first days with us. As you can imagine, it was an adventure...........

Wordless Wednesday

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A Little News..........

While I've been catching up on my posts about the Region 4 All Arabian Horse Championships, life has been sailing right along here. I thought before I got too much farther behind I really should post about the newest addition here.

I'd posted in News! about the Dakota and her pending litter weeks before we headed off to the Region 4 show and actually those puppies were born the same week we headed off to the Region 4 Championships.

If you guessed with that amount of time gone by the puppies must be about ready for new homes, you would be right. My new boxer puppy came to live here approximately a week ago.

She just happened to be the only female in the litter AND she was fawn to boot. I'd say she had my name on her right from the start but in actuality Angie was also planning on keeping a female so I was second in line. But the people owning the sire of this litter thought Angie should keep one of the males.........and eventually that's what she decided to do. That left if up to me if I wanted to keep this female or wait for another litter.

I had mixed feelings about taking this puppy. Delilah is only six months old and we still have training issues. Having a little more time before introducing another puppy to our farm would probably make for an easier transition with her. Then there's having a new puppy in the winter. That sounded like a chore in itself. There was also the possibility that there wouldn't be another litter since it had taken three times to get this one. In the end I decided that I would go with the sure thing and keep the female from this litter.

A lot has happened in the last week so it'll take more than one post to bring you up to speed. For now, here's a look at my girl and this thought..........there just is nothing cuter in the world that little boxer butts!

Details to follow



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The Region 4 Championships......The Judges Cards

The next day I went to the show office requesting a copy of the judges scores. With this new scoring system each horse is judged separately in predetermined categories, I wanted to see what the judges had to say about all of the colts, not just mine. With these scores I can tell how my horse was seen in each category by each judge instead of just the overall picture that happened with the old way of judging.

There are a total of eight scores that can be given by each judge. The scores of each can be anywhere between 1 and 20 with 1 being low. On the top of the score cards for each judge they are represented by the letters T, Q, L, H, N, B, M, -P. Tie breakers on multiple judging is C then M.
T = Arabian Type
Q = Quality, Balance, Substance at the Walk
L = Legs and Feet
H = Head
N = Neck and Shoulder
B = Back, Loin and Hip
M = Movement
C = Conformation = L+ H + N + B
-P = Penalty Points can be given if a horse has whip marks, shows signs of intimidation or is overly greased.

I had an idea going in how I expected each judge to score the horses as well as my idea of what the scores would be. Looking over the cards, I was able to see how each horse was seen by the judges and to see if my perceptions of what each judge might be looking for was correct.

The thing that struck me most about Rhet's scores is that they were the most consistent between all three judges. There was only one point seperating the scores of all three judges for my colt. With all of the other horses there were fluctuations of from just a few points to over twenty between judges. However, those fluctuations were consistent with what I knew about each judge in the first place.

My colt was eight points behind the horse that won. The first place horse was scored twelve points higher than Rhet by one judge and only one point higher by the third judge. On Dearth's card the winning horse was scored five points lower than Rhet.

Rhet was tied for score with the third place horse. He was scored three points lower than the third place horse by the call judge and one point higher by the third judge. Dearth scored that horse four points lower than my colt. Rhet won the tie beating the other horse by two points on conformation.

I knew going into this competition that Gary Dearth particularly would be a tough critic. He expects extreme pretty in the face and is equally hard on conformation. On Gary Dearth's card, Rhet was number one in the class which is impressive to me. The next closest horse on Dearth's card was down four points. The farthest down was thirty-two points under Rhet's score.

Gary Dearth and the third judge dinged Rhet for the lack of dish in his face which is as I expected. From the third judge, however, Rhet scored as high on his head as three other colts with no colts scored higher.

This is probably a good place to add that many yearlings are pretty straight in the profile. It is part of how they grow. They are born with a lot of dish and then it straightens out until sometime around two or three years old. However, halter is not judged against what is typical for the age but against the breed standard. That means if you have yearlings in the class with dishy faces they're probably going to get higher scores. It really depends on the preference of the judges.

Looking at these comparisons might be confusing but to me it told me lots about my colt. My perceptions of how he'd been seen in the ring were accurate. That information would help in making the decision about nationals.

I'd had an idea in my head how I'd expected Rhet to do with a big name handler on the end of the lead. In this class, that's not what I had. I had a performance trainer with lots of political pull but not necessarily in the halter arena. In the big sceme of things I wasn't quite sure how this affected, or even if it affected the outcome at all. For me it was going to take more information to make my decision.



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The Region 4 Championships....More on Placings

I have to admit it was pretty darn thrilling to hear the announcer say, "Well, it's not a secret anymore......." And the crowd exploded again. This time I didn't need help to figure it out, the secret finally out of the bag was mine. The secret horse I wasn't supposed to tell anyone I owned until he hit the show ring was now the reserve champion of the Region 4 All Arabian Horse Show Breeder's Sweepstakes Colt class.

I doubt that anyone even heard Rhet's name read by the announcer. The crowd went wild at the introduction immediately recognizing which colt she was talking about. Cheryl Fletcher flew forward with a proudly prancing Rhet to claim his award.

This time Rhet was ready for that neck ribbon. He stood tall waiting for the ring steward to approach (which he did without hesitation). It was clear that the colt was prepared for the fluttering ribbon to be hung around his neck. Once it was in place, the colt seemed to get even taller basking in his glory. If there's one thing Rhet has believed since birth it's been that he's pretty darn cool and he's going to prove that each chance he gets.

The colt even seemed to strike a pose when it was time for the photographer to chronicle this moment. The presenter walked up with the packaged embroidered "reserve champion" sheet and stood right next to Rhet without even the smallest flinch from the colt. Rhet was definitely getting the hang of this showing thing.

Those of us watching the horse on the rail laughed at his attitude. I guess it was predictable when a colt has an ego as big as Rhet's but it was still amazing to watch. Even though this was Rhet's very first class at any horse show, you sure couldn't tell it by his behavior. He looked like a seasoned winner out there.

Cheryl trotted the horse away from the presentation area once the photographs were done. Then the championship was awarded to the MPA Giovanni colt with Paul Mayhew on the lead.

Rhet had no clue the focus was changing from him to another horse. As far as he was concerned, the applause was all for him. As for me, I was too busy watching Rhet to see how that colt handled his win. My focus only changed when it was time to head for the out gate to catch my colt.




Funny thing about winning others want to be involved. Before I could get to Rhet one of the kids from the barn had grabbed him from Cheryl. No one has been allowed to handle this colt (except Richard, and Jessica a time or two) so it hadn't even occured to me that anyone would try to "claim" him.

And believe me that "claim" didn't last long. Rhet is such a handful even when he's quiet but he was far from quiet on this night. By the time we exited the building, I'd repossessed my colt. Most of the people from our barn were there waiting with cameras and such. It was time to celebrate.

As Rhet and I posed for a picture, Paul Mayhew with his champions colt exited the arena right behind us. Then he addressed me "Congratulations!That's one beautiful colt!"

For me that was frosting on the cake. Paul Mayhew is a horseman I have known for year. I really respect this man. He knows his horses, he's a kind trainer and he doesn't just throw compliments around. His approval of my colt was as important to me as that of those three judges in the championship class.

Rhet proudly walked back to his stall in the farthest corner of the facility his ribbons gently blowing in the evening breeze. He didn't try to drag me or get ahead of me. He was content with his ribbons and the chatter of his barn fans around him. It was a side of this colt I had not seen before and I must say I rather liked it.

Now, I could hardly wait to see the judges scores. Those scores would help me make my decision about going to the US Nationals or not but for now it was time to celebrate.

To be continued..............

The Judges Cards



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The Region 4 Championships....Placings

The rest of the colts took their turns in the middle and I studied each of them carefully. I listened for their breeding and who their owners were. Then I made mental notes of how I thought each compared to Rhet just like I had with the earlier colts.

Once the colts had finished their presentations, they all were moved to the far end of the arena. It takes a while for the judges scores to be added and the numbers verified. During this time the handlers and horses all let down a bit.

It's usually during this wait that the colts can get a bit rowdy. Some of the other colts began to play a little game of "you show me yours and I'll show you mine." At one point there were three colts dropped at the same time, but mostly it was just one here and one there. I'd never quite seen so many colts involved in this activity in one class before.

I watched Rhet to see if he'd remembered his lesson in the groom room back at the Silver Aspen stalls. At one point it looked like he was thinking about doing a little exhibition of his own. I headed down to Cheryl and let her know what Rhet was thinking. It only took one verbal correction for Rhet to decide it wasn't a good idea to join the other boys in their game. I definitely appreciated the schooling opportunity I'd been given before the class.

Once the numbers had been verified, they began to award the lavender Sweepstakes ribbons to the top ten horses. Since there were only nine horses in this class, each horse received one of the awards. Rhet had one of the lowest numbers in the class so his award was given early on in this process.

Once he had his ribbon I made my way to the other side of the arena. I wanted to be at the out gate to catch Rhet when Cheryl exited the arena. I found my way to the rest of the group from our barn and there I waited for the calling of the top five horses.

It's those top fives that win Sweepstakes money in the yearling halter classes. In my years of showing those breeding entries, my horses have easily won lavender ribbons even in large classes. I've even had a couple of horses be sixth but I've never managed to break the barrier and get into the green money ribbons. I was really hoping that Rhet would be my first.

In placing top fives and top tens, the numbers are always called numerically from lowest to highest. That way the horses whose numbers have been skipped know they're out and it's time to exit the arena.

I was talking with JP about my impressions of this class. He was telling me how he thought Rhet should win........and I was telling him there were no such things as "shoulds" in the show ring when the announcer began to announce the winners of the top fives. I must admit I'm not very good at remembering the numbers of my horses so when the announcer called out 98, it meant nothing to me.

JP and the others from our barn began screaming and yelling along with what seemed like the entire rest of the arena. I was still wondering who 98 could be getting all this response from the crowd. Then JP said something like, "I told you." I looked around to see Cheryl moving forward with Rhet. Then and only then did I finally realized that 98 was indeed my horse, Secret Envy.

I was exited to see the horse had finally garnered the illusive top five green sweepstakes ribbon for my farm. It was a first step to a bigger dream. I realized from something he said that JP thought the horse had won something more so I explained to him why they had awarded a top ten followed by a top five. They would have to award the complete top five before they moved on to a championship or reserve.

While I went over this stuff with JP, I watched my colt closely. I wondered how Rhet was going to handle receiving that neck ribbon. Many a young horse without issues like Rhet's have freaked out getting a ribbon tied in place.

Rhet just stood there like he wasn't quite sure what to think as the people approached . His eyes got big and his body tensed at the dangling ribbon and the big hurken camera of the photographer. But Rhet stood like a rock as the ring steward reached around him to hang the ribbon in place.

Once it was fastened and Rhet felt the ribbon fluttering on his neck the horse suddenly got taller......... prouder.......yep, Rhet was proving he's a show horse through and through. He stood there for his picture then trotted back to his position on the rail pretty darn proud of himself. He continued to strut just a bit as the rest of the horses were awarded their ribbons as well.

I watched closely as the other four horses were awarded their top five ribbons. Would the rest of these colts be the horses I would had picked? Or would the judges see things differently? That always seems to be the $64,000 question in halter.

There was the colt that Paul Mayhew led by MPA Giovanni and the other colt shown in the program to be led by Paul Mayhew as well. The man on the end of the lead is not someone I am familiar with, but he thought he'd gotten the gate and had to come back to claim his prize for the cute bay colt by Noble Rhyton. Then Jay Smith stepped up with his A Jakarta colt followed by Dale Worthington's flashy Baywatch colt.

These colts were actually the exact horses I had picked to be in the top five. It doesn't always happen that way. Lots of times I end up scratching my head looking at whose been selected. Next it would be interesting to see which horses would be the champion and the reserve.

To be continued...............

More on Placings



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The Region 4 Championships....Big Day....Rhet's Class Part 2

The crowd was quiet as Cheryl Fletcher walked towards the judges for the presentation of my yearling Arabian colt. As she stopped in the middle Cheryl turned the colt towards the in gate. She asked Rhet to "Whoa!" Then worked at positioning his feet.

Rhet paused with that last front foot poised in the air before he carefully placed it where Cheryl asked. Then the woman raised her hand and the crowd erupted for the third time since this colt had entered the ring. I listened in amazement at the amount of noise that was being made for my colt.

Now, Silver Aspen Ranch is not a little operation. Many times they bring over fifty horses to a regional championship. And believe me, the folks at Silver Aspen are supportive of each other, they head up to the arena in droves to watch each other's classes. It was obvious they were there on the rail to support Cheryl in this halter class and those people can make a LOT of noise!

But it wasn't just the people from Silver Aspen cheering. Sound appeared to be rising from every location in the arena inhabited by onlookers. There was no way my little barn and those people from Silver Aspen were making all this noise and it just kept on going and going. It sounded to me like Rhet might just be the crowd favorite. That thought alone was worth all the hassle it had been to get this horse into the ring.

There have only been a handful of times over the years I have ever heard the crowd get behind a particular horse in this manner. It happens so rarely, I even remember the names of the horses involved in those situations.

The first time I witnessed such an event it was Julie Durall's black stallion, Maajestic Moon at the Region 5 Championships. Then who could forget the amazing mare, Ericca, at the All Arabian US National Championships. To see that venue explode like that still boggles my mind. I also remember seeing Parys El Jamaal when he showed at the Region 17 All Arabian Championships for his qualification for the national show. In each of these instances the crowd seemed to be one in its appreciation of the horse.

Now standing in the middle, it was my colt, Rhet, garnering this attention. He seemed to sense the excitement in the air. The colt stood pretty well for Cheryl with this being his first show and all that noise in the stands. Frankly I was surprised at his composure although to be honest, I suspect he had more to give.

I did notice he was worried about the judges walking around him though. The horse's ears seemed to be following them more than pointed at Cheryl. The three judges seemed to spend a long time looking at Rhet compared to some of the other colts.

Finally all three of them were lined up on the left side of the horse making their final notations. Added to the group was the ring steward and that was more pressure than Rhet could bare. With those four people all looking at him the colt began to carefully move sideways to the left. One foot at a time he slowly moved away from the pressure still maintaining his pose for Cheryl.

One of the judges noticed the colt's response and moved to the other side, stopping the colt in his track. Rhet didn't fuss at this new pressure. He just stopped there in the midst of the judges with his eyes darting around at those standing in center ring. All the while still holding that halter horse pose.



The call judge instructed Cheryl to trot her horse off. She turned towards the in gate and signaled the horse to move. Only the first steps were at the trot, from there Rhet kept trying to canter.

All down the wall Cheryl had to keep bumping the colt back into the trot. The horse would feel that pressure and brace against it throwing his head high. I don't know if the judges ever did get to see the pretty trot I get from the horse at home. He was just too excited to go join all those colts standing around at the other end of the arena.

To be continued..................

Placings



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The Region 4 Championships....Big Day....Rhet's Class

I didn't think I was going to make it out of the rest room to even make it to see Rhet's class. It was a good thing I had gobs of those Pepto Bismol tablets in my pockets. Who knew showing this colt was going to be so stressful? Certainly not me, this kind of reaction was new to me.

When I did get out of the rest room, they were just calling the yearling colts. The winning horses from the previous class were just exiting the arena. I raced up the stairs and into the stands looking for a seat with clear vision to the entrance and the place where the horses would stand up...........oh yeah, and I was looking for a place by myself. I wanted to watch this class closely, not talk my way through it out of nerves and miss everything.

To find a place on the rail I had to go clear down to the middle point of the arena. Not the usual place to find me at the regional championships.....but then I rarely enter this late to watch a class this important to me.

I sat down and laid my arms across the rail with my hands supporting my chin. It was time for some heavy duty focusing. I really wanted to be sure about how my colt compared with the others in this class.

I got settled just in time, the first horse entered the ring. Led by Terry Holmes the colt was circled right in front of the entrance and paraded on down the wall. I wondered if this was the colt my friend, Chris, had been telling me about. This particular breeder had a colt she was pretty proud of as well.

Then there was a lull. I don't know why but the next colt must not have been in position. It seemed like forever before the next colt hit the ring. My stomach was doing flips again just waiting for the horses to enter the ring. I was grateful after the second horse there were no more lagging horses.

It seemed each horse had enough time to make a showy entrance before the next one followed. Somehow I managed to loose track and I began to wonder when Rhet would emerge.I knew Rhet's position in the line-up was right in the middle. I thought he should be the fifth horse to enter in a class of nine and yet it seemed that more colts had entered and still no Rhet.

I found myself holding my breath waiting for each new colt to enter. My eyes glued on the entrance not wanting to miss a single second of the entrance of any horse.......and certainly not mine. I haven't watched a class with such intensity since my last trip to nationals.

The crowd seemed to feel the same anticipation. With each entrance a cheer arose, followed by hoots and hollers. The handlers strutted their colts around like each was the best horse they'd ever seen. The whole feel of the night helf the hope and promise for future generations of the breed.

Then it happened. One instant there was a white void at the in gate and the next Cheryl with Rhet in hand erupted on the scene. With his tail over his back and his head high, the crowd exploded before the colt even crossed the thresshold of the arena. It sounded like the entire arena was cheering for my colt.

I remember thinkg the whiteness of the high in gate doors intensified the darkness of the colt's coat. It even startled me how dark the Rhet looked in this arena.........but it wasn't just his color. Rhet came through those doors really looking like a show horse.

Then it seemed Rhet ran right smack into the wall of sound emitted by the crowd. For just an instant the colt stopped dead in his tracks throwing his head up to its highest point. I could see him looking around trying to understand what has just happened. Cherly urged him on and Rhet proceeded as he was told.

As she trotted the colt down the wall, I spoke to him as they came near. Rhet looked at me when he heard his name and his eye softened just a little. I saw a look that said he was beginning to figure things out. This crowd was here for him........and in his mind...........for him alone. It was obvious from his carriage Rhet was going to give them a show.

By this time my heart was pounding right out of my chest. Yet there were four more colts to enter. You'd have thought my heart would settle but it didn't. The crowd was still cheering for Rhet when the next colt hit the ring.

From there it seemed like forever before the rest of the colts had entered. Then it was time for them to parade past the judges at the obligatory walk, both ways of the arena.

I marvelled at Rhet's manners. He really behaved like he belonged out there. He walked straight with his head in the air. He didn't crowd his handler, nor pick at her. With all of the issues I've had with this colt since I got him, you wouldn't have seen a single one of them there in the ring that day. Rhet acted like a well trained horse.

Once the horses returned to their original position on the rail, the first horse stood up on the wall and showed. It used to be that all of the handlers in the class would show their horses at this point but the rules have changed. Now it's only ok for the horse showing in the middle and the one on deck to strike a pose. Schooling on the rail is no longer allowed. (although it is up to show management to enforce this rule)

I studied each colt as it was shown. With some the angle for me to see were better than others. It all depended on how they stood up in the middle. It was the view on the rail that gave me my best look at each horse. Although at this distance I couldn't tell much about their legs.

When a horse is taken into the middle, the announcer calls out the name of the horse, its sire and dam, the owner and the handler. Then people in the crowd will voice their approval with more hooting and hollering. Usually, you can tell where the owners of the horses are by the direction the noise comes from......but not always. Sometimes people in the crowd will get behind a horse they like even if it's not a horse they know.

That's how it was when Rhet showed. When the judges turned to look at him on the rail, the crowd exploded just like they had when he'd entered the ring. As Cheryl was instructed to bring the horse forward to be judged, the crowd got quiet as his pertinent information was announced. I can remember the lump rising in my throat as I heard the annoucer call out his name..........Secret Envy............

To be continued....................

Rhet's Class Part 2


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The Region 4 Championships....Big Day....Part 4

A couple of nights before Rhet's class , I had taken the colt up to the arena after
things had slowed down for the night . I wanted to check out his reactions both in the ring and on the route to the arena to see if he had issues that might require schooling before his class.

Other than being exited, the colt did pretty well on the long walk to the arena. He pranced all the way up and back from the arena. His old familiar comfort zone of being just ahead of me was where he wanted to be. The horse had to be continually reminded to stay in his box next to me but he was actually very light with the corrections. There were no attempts to drag me, he just kept forgetting his place in his excitement to explore this new world.

In the actual arena the horse looked around a bit but mostly he just wanted to smell the dirt. I decided I would let him so he could get it out of his mind. Otherwise I figured he'd be bugging Cheryl throughout the class trying to put his head down to the ground.

Once I let Rhet smell the dirt, his curiosity was satisfied. His preoccupation with the dirt was gone. Even in other parts of the arena he no longer showed any interest in sniffing the footing. The horse just walked around looking at things taking it all in. For his first time there I was pleased with his response.

The night of his class, Rhet seemed to sense the difference. I don't know if it was nerves from me or something in the air but the colt was wired. As I led him out of his stall, his tail flagged over his back and he pranced all the way to the grooming stalls at Silver Aspen.

Cheryl was already dressed waiting in the aisle. With her were the two grooms who job it was to get Rhet shining for his class. Rhet was reluctant to enter the groom room. He'd never seen one of these before and he wasn't sure what to think of all that stuff and those bare black mats. It didn't take much encouragement before he decided to go in and he actually didn't try to exit when I turned him around facing the door.

Rhet really wasn't sure what to think when the two grooms came near him and began smearing goop on his face but he tolerated it. I could tell by the look in his eye he was trying his best but the line between control and loosing it was pretty thin. I almost thought he was going to loose it when they both began spraying him with the aerosol finishing spray. I think because they both started at the same time he couldn't decided which way to go........so he just stood there..........but his eyes said he was terrified.

When they stopped spraying and began rubbing him down, the horse settled. The hands running over his body seemed to soothe him. Then when they decided they needed more spray, the horse stiffened but his eyes were not nearly as wild. He did, however, breathe a sigh of relief when the spraying stopped.

Now it was time to wait for our call up to the staging area. The classes were not progressing as quickly as the paddock announcer had projected. It was going to be a bit of a wait until it was our time to go so I closed the door of the grooming stall on Rhet and I and we waited.........

For me there was a bit of relief in the fact the horse was ready except for removing the stable halter. That wouldn't be done until the last minute.

From before my western pleasure class that afternoon my stomach had been giving me fits. I'd made countless trips to the rest room and eaten more Pepto Bismol tablets than I cared to count. The stress causing this reaction hadn't slowed after my riding class, it had only stepped up another notch. Now, with this brief respite waiting for our time to show, I had a brief let down.

Rhet, on the other hand, was wound up tight. The closed groom room door had removed any ideas he had of leaving so now he turned his attention to his new surroundings..............and wouldn't you know it, in those surrounding was a mare..............in heat!

Directly behind the groom room, I could hear this horse pushing up against the wall. Then I heard the peeing........lots of peeing. Before long Rhet had figured out was this was about and he was beginning to drop.

Now dropping at inappropriate times is not an issue I have had to deal with this horse. Frankly I was relieved it was happening at this time instead of in the ring like some yearling colts do. So Rhet and I spent our waiting time learning what "Put it away!" means.

It didn't take long for Rhet to figure out what I meant. The first time I asked, I whacked him with the end of the lead as I gave the command. His response to my intrusion was immediate......until the mare talked to him again. The second time I just warned him with my voice........and he responded appropriately. The mare, however, was calling to him even if not literally. The urge overtook him again and I corrected him just like I had initially. After that, Rhet didn't have to be warned or corrected. He got the picture and I was confident if Cheryl needed to tell the colt to "Put it away!" in the class, Rhet would respond appropriately.

Not too long after this schooling session had concluded, it was time to take Rhet up to the staging area. I walked him up to the ring and removed the stable halter. By this time my stomach was doing back flips and I'm pretty sure I was turning green. Cheryl took the horse to do a little refresher on his stand up cues and I asked if I could be excused. I was given instructions to pick him up at the out gate after the class and I headed for the nearest rest room. The next time I was to see Rhet it was entering the arena...........

To be continued..................

Rhet's Class



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The Region 4 Championships....Big Day....Part 3

The paddock announcer had been calling all day horses all halter horses needed to be in the appointed staging area when called. Any horses not appearing in that staging area at the appointed time would not be allowed to enter the ring.

We'd didn't want to take any chances on being late because of the distance of our stalls from the show arena so Cheryl Fletcher and I had decided ahead of time that I'd take Rhet up to the Silver Aspen stalls for his final grooming. From there it would be much closer for her to take him to the staging area where the halter horses are put into order according to their age.

I'd got his feet polished early so that part would already be done. The horse stood quietly while the polish dried and even tolerated the spray on enhancer pretty well. At least the first part of this process was going smoothly.

When the class call came that marked the time to take Rhet up to the Silver Aspen stalls, I grabbed the show halter and Jessica and headed for Rhet's stall. Since the colt had broken my nose, I'd only put the show halter on once to make sure it fit. It had nearly taken an act of God to get that halter in place.

The good thing about it was I'd had time to form a plan. I knew I needed to get the show halter on before any kind of oil or grease was applied to the horse's face. Once that was done, the colt would be too slippery to ever get the show halter on.

I entered the stall with the stable halter in hand. Rhet promptly headed for the back wall throwing his head up into the air. He even thought about turning his butt towards me but quickly discarded that notion just looking at the determination on my face.

Jessica stayed outside with the show halter and it's various parts waiting for me to catch the colt. I had to put my arm around Rhet's neck to even get a shot at putting the stable halter on his face. Once the nose band was in place, he relaxed just a bit and dropped his head only to throw it up again as I flopped the crown piece over his poll. Rhet wasn't going to make anything about this easy that was for sure.

With the stable halter finally on the colt's head I had Jessica enter the stall. I had her hold Rhet while I worked at getting the show halter on over the top of the stable halter.

I took the dismantled show halter putting my left hand through the hole formed by the nose band, through the throat latch and out underneath the poll portion. With the halter resting on my arm, I grabbed the colt's nose with my left hand and gave him a minute to think about things before I tried moving the show halter up into place.

Rhet relaxed just a minute and I took advantage moving the show halter up his face. When I reached the horse's ears he threw himself backwards into the wall. I gripped his nose harder and went with him watching carefully in case the colt flung his head. I didn't want to get hit in the face again, my nose was already green and very very sore.

Rhet attempted to throw his head into the wall. I countered with more pressure on his nose. He threw his head higher in the air but I just followed him up pushing that halter over his ears.

Of course, it went too far was was resting a half dozen inches down his neck. I waited for the colt to settle before I tried adjusting the position knowing he'd be defensive about any movement towards his poll.

Jessica and I both talked to him and stroked him with that halter resting in the odd position. When the horse finally let down, I quickly bumped the halter into place. Immediately the horse flung his head straight up in the air but the halter's position held and we were ready to assemble the thing right on his face.

First Jessica handed me the chain. I threaded it carefully though the rings making sure I didn't shift the position of the show halter. Once that was done, I attached the lead capturing the chain. (A captured chain is one that is caught in the middle through the lead which prevents the chain from resting on the underside of the jawline.)

With the show halter assembled on Rhet's face, it was time to take the stable halter out from underneath it. I undid the buckle of the stable halter. Then very carefully I slide the crown piece out from underneath the crown of the show halter. It was important not to disturb the position of the show halter. I didn't want the colt anymore frazzled than he already was.

From there Jessica helped me slide the stable halter down the colt's face. The thin thread throat latch of the show halter wanted to grab the stable halter. We carefully maneuvered through without breaking that thread. Then we had to thread the lead on the stable halter between the horse's jawline and the captured chain on the show halter.

When the stable halter was finally free both Jessica and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Since I didn't know what to expect from Rhet on the way to the ring I put the stable halter on over the top of the show halter. I wasn't taking any chances getting this colt up to the ring.......I was using all the reinforcements I could think of to make sure we got there on time.

To be continued..........

Big Day Part 4



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The Region 4 Championships......Rhet's Big Day Part 2

After the issues with the clippers I didn't know what to expect from the Arabian colt when it came to sanding his feet. Usually the horse stood fine for the farrier to do his work.......well, except for one time when he was an absolute nut.

But sanding and trimming are definitely different things. Some horses really don't like that kind of pressure applied to their hooves. I decided given Rhet's history that hand sanding would probably be the safest approach. I can only imagine what he'd think of my noisy palm sander when he couldn't even tolerate the clipper noise. Was he going to be bothered by the process fighting each step of the way?

I'm pretty picky about the way I think hooves should be done. Particularly for halter classes, they need to look like glass. I learned many years ago the easiest way to attain that look was by using different grades of sandpaper.
Starting off with a coarse paper to get most of the ridges off has always saved me lots of time. Then changing to a medium paper to get rid of the rest of the grooves and such. Once that's done a very fine paper (for me a 400 wet/dry) smooths the whole thing out. The final phase is going over the hooves again with a fine steel wool. Once that's finished, I like to coat the hoof with a clear wax shoe polish, then buff. This helps keep the hoof clean until I'm ready to apply polish.

The scariest part of sanding hooves is having to be right there down on the ground. If a horse is not good, their dancing around can cause a groom to get hurt. Babies in particular can be fine one minute and totally freaked the next. This makes this particular job my least favorite in the grooming process. It doesn't help any that my body is old and really hates being that kind of bent......

I figured it would be best for me to be the one on the ground. I really doubted that Rhet would trust Jessica enough to do anything with his feet. Relinquishing control of what happens to their feet is really such a huge survival issue to a horse, trust, trust and more trust is what it takes to be messing with horses' feet.

So Jessica held Rhet on the road that runs right out in front of the barns. The blacktop surface made a good choice for cleaning up Rhet's hooves. The colt actually stood quietly most of the time. It was mostly when traffic of one kind or another passed that he showed any signs of discomfort. The rest of the time he more or less picked at Jessica because he was bored standing still for so long.

The colt can get a bit nippy........honestly........more than a bit. He's definitely got loose lips but it's mostly about playing. The horse thinks standing close to him for more than a second or two is an invitation to pull at clothes and sometimes even hair. Jessica exercised great restraint in not killing him before I had time to get clear. Rhet didn't get away with anything and I still managed to stay safe.

The actual process of sanding his feet went about as smoothly as it had gone with Legs. After his shenanigans getting clipped I was greatly relieved. Not that my body didn't ache crawling down amongst his legs. By the time I was finished I had a difficult time getting to my feet. Before moving onto the bath, I had to take a break and give myself time to adjust to an upright position. Getting old really sucks............

When it came to his bath, Rhet got mixed reviews. The colt was not fond of the cold water and he did a bit of dancing. I ended up holding him to keep him under control while Jessica applied the soap and water.

One thing about Rhet..........he's not stupid. It didn't take him long to figure out that the scrubbing part was pretty darn cool. The colt stretched out his neck and his lower lip began to quiver as Jessica ran the scrubby bath mitt all over his body. For that part, the cold stood as still as a statue.

However, rinsing off all those suds was another matter. The trolls jumped right up out of the puddles of suds and bit at the colt's toes. Rhet was sure he was going to die and tried to bolt. Fortunately I've experienced lots of horses with phobias over bubbles. I was ready for these antics and Rhet didn't get far. It didn't take him long to realize standing in puddles wasn't all that bad.

The really bad part was washing his face. Again, the colt wigged out just like he had in the stall. Jessica and I swapped places. She grabbed the end of his nose while I washed his face. Of course, he stretched his head as high to the sky as possible trying to escape but at least he was no longer running from side to side.

Then there's some form of Murphy's Law that dictates always getting too much soap on the face of a horse that hates being rinsed. That's certainly what happened with Rhet. Trying to rinse out all those suds seemed to take forever. At one point his poor eyes rolled back as he tried blinking out the suds. It just wasn't pretty............but we finally got it done. All we had left was drying time..................before the final grooming for the ring.

To be continued.......................

Part 3



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The Region 4 Championships......Rhet's Big Day

It's hard enough getting yearlings ready to show but dealing with a colt like Rhet meant there were added issues. Ever since that day when he'd broken my nose coming anywhere near the colt with a halter had again become a major test.

The very sight of a halter of any kind caused the colt to run to the back of the stall climbing the walls to escape. With the stalls in the race horse barns at the Region 4 All Arabian Championships being made of cinder blocks I was particularly worried about Rhet doing more damage to himself. He was already wearing enough jewelry as it was from his injuries html before he left home. I was really hoping to get through this show without anymore war wounds.

There was a lot to do to get the horse ready to show on that Friday. I was glad the yearling colt's class was in the evening session. That gave me plenty of time after my class with Legs to get everything done with Rhet. Choosing the best order for the different tasks was going to be important but other than that I felt comfortable we had more than enough time to get everything accomplished........even if Rhet turned out to be a bit difficult.

I knew we needed to get his bath done early. Having hooves dry enough to sand is always an issue but then having them dry enough to polish can cause even bigger problems. The timing of the bath in this whole sequence seemed to be what bothered me most that day. Looking back I was sure taking some things for granted.

Because I had clipped Rhet's face before without issues, I was assuming that I would have no problem clipping him at the show. Then because I was hosing the horse off regularly at home without problems, I was assuming that the colt would stand still to be bathed. You know what they say about assuming...........well, it's true...........and it sure was true in this case.

Rhet hadn't just regressed in his halter training........he had regressed in most everything to do with me. His halter schooling with Cheryl Fletcher was going just fine.........once I could get him caught.......but for Cheryl, he was a good boy. For me..............not so much.

I remember I asked Jessica to come with me when I went into the stall to show clip the horse. It really had been just as a precaution, in case I might need help. Don't know what I was thinking, if I could barely get a halter on the colt why did I expect he would let me clip him??

It's a good thing Jessica was there. The minute I turned the clippers on Rhet wigged out. He reared straight up into the air and tried to flip himself over onto his back. Jessica had to grab his nose for me to get anywhere near clipping on his face. It was a good thing that his ears and bridle path were already done.

I can't even tell you how long we struggled with the colt before we actually got him clipped. It wasn't my usual exotic clip job. There was no way that was going to happen with the horse bouncing off the walls. No fancy blending, no use of multiple blades.......just as basic clip job with no 10 blades on his face and no 40 blades over the eyes......not the usual for a halter horse for sure............but respectable.

To do his muzzle I had to use a bic razor. Balding of halter horses is against the rules but that's what bics are usually used for in halter horses. BUT for Rhet, I needed the bic to just get the stubble off his muzzle.

The horse wouldn't stand for the clippers without someone grabbing onto the end of his nose. I was hoping to take those hairs off one at a time as I carefully used the little disposable razor. I had to be extra careful not to take off any of the other hairs............I didn't want it to look like a bic had been anywhere near his face.........I just needed the stubble gone.

When it was done I had a couple of little gouges that just couldn't be helped. Rhet had thrown his nose right into the razor not liking the feel of the razor on those feeler hairs. But the gouges looked like they could have been caused by a no 40 blade. Normally, I would have blended those right out but not with Rhet. He was going to have to go with what we had.

After this fiasco with the clipping, I was really dreading sanding the horse's hooves and giving him a bath. If he reacted to either of these tasks like he had the clippers it was going to be tough having the horse ready in time. I was beginning to think I had misjudged how much time it was going to take to have this horse ready to show after all.

To be continued....................

Part 2



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A Little Cowboy Philosophy to Share

I came across this on my facebook page and I thought I'd share. What would a cowboy (or cowgirl) be without a little philosophy to share. This piece seems to fit my mood right now so I thought I'd pass it on. Chris LaDouix is sure missed.

I'm struggling with whether I should jump right in and post about the C-Fair show or whether I should catch up. I'm really behind here stll needing to finish off the Region 4 Championships. Then there is Region 5 and if I put off C-Fair, I'll be behind on everything.......but then behind seems to be what I do.........a lot. Any thoughts on the best course of travel would be great.



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Touching Base

I got home from the C-Fair Charity Horse Show last evening and was glad to see that Blogger had co-operated this time actually posting everything I had scheduled. There's nothing more frustrating than scheduling enough posts for every day I'm gone only to come home and find them just sitting there still waiting.

I had thought I might be home early enough to write a post for last night, but I hadn't planned on the extreme heat of the week so no post was forthcoming. This morning my mind is mush and I suspect a wee bit fried. A "real" post will have to wait.

I just wanted to touch base and say, "It's good to be home. I can't wait to visit with ALL my ponies." I have missed them.........even trying Rhet. I can't believe how he's taken over my heart.



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The Region 4 Championships......Waiting

Waiting for the verification of numbers in regional championship classes is a pain. It feels like it takes forever when you're sitting on the rail watching. It feels like twice that long when you're sitting on the back of a horse waiting to hear your fate.

On this particular day I already knew my fate. I just wanted the class to be over. I wanted to head back to my stalls and just be done with it. I was looking forward to NOT worrying about the red stallion and what might happen anymore. That was enough for me..........yet I had to stand there waiting just like everyone else. It was sheer torture.

When they did finally let us exit the arena, I was not surprised to see that my number did not appear on the white board. Melanie from our barn on Khemosabi Miss had made the top five however. The forty and overs in our barn were definitely pulling our weight. Each of us had won a top five at this regional championship. There would be another day for Legs and me in the amateur owner class.

Back at the stalls, I again checked out my horse's back. Even though he'd been good, he just didn't seem his usual self to me. I wasn't surprised to find a mass of heat in the horse's hip. I immediately called Marc DePaola. Legs had amassed the toxins released from the original treatment right at the site of the injection. It would take a special drug to get those toxins to disperse.

After I got the treatment for Legs take care of I checked the judge's cards,. I learned we weren't as far off as I'd thought. Even though because of that troll Gary Dearth had scratched us off his card , we were ranked sixth in the class.The absolute best finish I've ever had in the AAOTR western pleasure. I was ecstatic! I may not have gotten one of those green sweepstakes ribbons or even another burgundy top five one, but I had valuable information to use in making my decision about nationals. Now it was time to get ready for Rhet's class.

To be continued.....................

Rhet's Big Day



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