More on Doc's Name

After I got done laughing (I think ROFLMAO would apply) at the comments about Doc's name from all you Quarter Horse lovers, I was going to respond in the comments but, as usual, my comment got so lengthy it looked more like a blog post so figured I'd just respond here. It was certainly obvious to me how little I know about bloodlines of Quarter horses from your comments, particularly the more current ones. I did know somewhere up in my head that there are certain bloodlines known better for certain things.......like halter, pleasure and working horses but particularly which bloodlines those are, I haven't a clue. I'm open to any help to enlighten me on this subject, I love knowing more about pedigrees.

What I know about Doc's breeding in working horse terms, I got from Richard. His aunt had a huge cattle ranch in Nevada when he was growing up and she particularly valued the breeding in Doc's pedigree for her working stock. That admiration for his aunt and her proficiency at selecting just the right horses for that work are what inspired Richard's excitement about Doc.

Now that's not to say that I don't know horses like Zippo Pine Bar. I do.......well, I recognize the name. I probably wouldn't recognize the horse if he stood right in front of me but I know it's a name to be respected. As for what he was good at, I'll need to be educated by my Quarter horse readers.

Zippo's Mr Good Bar I had never even heard of until FlyingHorse2's comment. I know nothing about this horse other than I like his name (giggle) I'll have to look him up to see how closely he's related to my guy. I just love researching pedigrees.

With that being said, I should probably clarify a bit on my take on a "ride n slide" kind of name. From what I can tell in the Arabian industry a "ride n slide" kind of name would be a name that sounds more like a Quarter horse than an Arabian type name (now if you ask me how to define that, it could get interesting.) I believe most people in the Arabian circuit probably wouldn't know anymore about what QH lines do what than I so I'm probably still good with Scandalous Mr Goodbar for the name of a colt I hope will do reining.

Like BrownEyed Cowgirls my motive behind being particular about names (besides reflecting their heritage) has to do with wanting them to be catchy so that WHEN one becomes famous it will have a suitable name for stardom. Also I want people to associate them with my breeding program

When it's all said and done, I don't know what career this horse will have. He was bred to be a reiner but it is entirely possible this colt could end up a pleasure horse. I guess it will depend on whether or not he is sold and who gets him.........or how much I learn about teaching a horse to do the reining maneuvers.

It is not uncommon for reining horses to also be pleasure horses in the Arabian breed so Doc could even end up doing both. LaRae Fletcher-Powell of Silver Aspen Ranch makes her amateur reining riders show their horses in the pleasure division as well.

Whatever Doc ends up doing, I expect he will do it well. He has a load of talent and a great mind. Probably his only drawback as a reiner will be if I get to keep him because I know nothing at this point about riding a slider...........but I'm open to learning and there's a great trainer not far from my farm so I guess we'll have to just wait and see what the future holds.

Dare's Foal Finally Gets a Name!

I'm really obsessive about names for my foals. By the time I finally come up with the right name for a new foal, the foal is no longer new and those reading my blog have given up on me ever coming up with one.

That's definitely been the case this year. There were lots of suggestions from readers and friends and they were nice names.............just not what I had in mind..........even though I really had no idea what I had in mind.

With my first ever half Arabian foal, I had some definite criteria in my mind for what this horse's name should be. Although along with that criteria I really didn't have a clue as to any specifics about the name. All I was sure of was I wanted it to sound like what this horse is.............a "ride n slide" kind of horse with his Quarter horse pedigree.

Yet I still wanted this name to reflect the horse was bred by me. All the horses I have bred have either "scandalous" or "scandal" as part of their names. So that part would be easy...........I wanted the name to be "Scandalous.............something or other. It's that "something or other" that gave me fits.



Back when Richard finally got to see the "other half" of the pedigree of this foal, he had lots to say about this guy. No longer was the colt just another Legs' baby or grandbaby, now he'd moved into the ranks of Quarter horse superstars, at least in Richard's book. He finally understood my quest for the right name.

What's In This Pedigree definitely got us thinking about what kinds of names we could use to leave clues about the great horses that have contributed genetically to this colt. Many Arabian people don't know who The Mighty Oak is, even those interested in reining. But serious reiners would recognize the horses behind him. I wanted a name that reflected that while preserving that "ride n slide" feel.

Well, it happened...........it finally happened! After much talking and a lot of joking around we finally came up with a name for Dare's foal. I have to tell you, I think it's absolutely perfect.........something I never say lightly..........nor get to easily......but perfect it is. It portrays exactly what I wanted to say about this colt.

To be honest, I am not the one who came up with this name. It was Richard's doing. I think he blurted it out as a joke until he saw the look on my face. This name immediately hit the mark with me. There were no second thoughts, no doubts........just total acceptance from one of the most obsessive foal namers anyone will ever meet. Talk about a shock.........for both Richard.............and me...........the obsessive namer!

So what is it? What is the wonderful name with the "ride n slide" kind of feel that reflects this horse's heritage on both the top and bottom lines? Well, it's Scandalous Mr Goodbar!

For those of you who don't "get" it.............here's the deal. The "Mr" comes from Mr San Peppy. While the "Good" is the English for Bueno from the famous Poco Bueno who is predominate throughout this pedigree. Of course, the "bar" is the famous Doc Bar and the illustrious Bar horses behind him. So what do we call this colt for his barn name................well, Doc, of course! This from the woman who insists that barn names are recognizable from the registered name.......oh well, what can I say?....it just seemed to fit.

I have to admit I'm not only delighted with this colt. I'm equally delighted with his name. For me the two fit together just like the vision I had when I decided to breed for this horse. A spectacular colt with a super star name and dreams of super stardom off in the future...................

What's Next..........The Decision.........

By then it was time for me to begin working the C-Fair Charity Horse Show. Managing that horse show gave me a little income to take care of my feed bills for a bit. That would take some pressure off even if it didn't generate enough funds to get me to nationals.

There's a lot to tell about that horse show and I will do that telling in its own series. But for now, I'm just mentioning the show because of it's relationship to getting this whole nationals thing figured out. This horse show provided a distraction from my worries so I didn't just dig myself a hole and give up on making it to Tulsa this year.

When I got everything wrapped up from the show, things didn't seem quite so overwhelming on the home front. I had money in the bank to pay for feed so I'd just kept on in the planning stages like I WAS making the trip. I guess you could say I was in some form of "denial." If I just kept getting ready to go.........I'd actually get there.

By this time Angie had decided that she was not going to make the trip to nationals. That meant Richard would not be going unless he got a load of horses to haul. This provided its own set of issues, I'd figured from the start I'd be traveling with them. If they didn't go, I needed to find someone else to travel with. Tulsa is a long trip to be taking on my own with a load of horses.

Actually, I am such a home body leaving home at all is a really big deal. I'd never leave the farm if it wasn't for horse activities. I've travelled more in the years I've had horses than the entire rest of my life. But taking a trip over halfway across the country by myself just does not sound appealing to me. Now I found myself wondering what in the heck was I thinking............ All these years I'd been dreaming about showing at the US Nationals and I never once thought about "that trip."

Now that I was faced with it, the whole thing seemed daunting. My last trip to nationals I had travelled with my recently fired trainer. It wasn't the most comfortable trip but there was security in having someone I knew in front of me leading the way. Now I was faced with traveling to a city I have never been and doing it alone.

I've had a number of people ask me why Dave doesn't make the trip with me. But with a herd the size of mine that's just not an option. Someone has to stay home and take care of Lindsay, the dogs and the horses. It's just not that easy to get someone to step into that role with a herd the size of mine so I don't think there's much chance that Dave will be my co-pilot.

I did have a couple of different friends who thought they could get the time off to travel with me. Neither of those worked out. Even if I did have someone to travel in my truck with me, I still would feel safer if I had another rig to travel with.

The closing date for entries was getting closer and closer. Dave and I had some time to think and to talk and we decided I should just go for it. I still had the money for the entries, we'd figure the rest out...........

When I began working on the entry forms, I realized that the fees weren't adding up to nearly as much as I had thought. It was somewhere around $1700 for both Rhet and Legs to show and that included one extra stall for a tack room. So I penciled in Gypcy to see what her fees would run, they turned out to be the cheapest of the bunch at just a little over $450.

That meant I could show all three horses for around $2200. Since I had only $2000 set aside, I called Dave (who was out job hunting) to see if we could scrape up the additional money. Then I finished off Gypcy's entries for real.

My entries for the US Nationals were in the mail before the deadline of Aug 18. The following week my checks cleared my bank so I knew they'd been processed. Since then I have received my official conformation. My entries were complete (which I know from my show management experience is NOT always the case) so all three horses are entered in the national championships. It's on to Tulsa in October!





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What's Next.........More on Expenses.........

Having the money for entries didn't guarantee I'd make the trip to the US All Arabian Horse Show in Tulsa, OK. There were other expenses to be expected not the least of which was transporting the horses that far. So I found myself totaling up the damages to see what the bottom line just might be.

Needless to say, the amount seemed overwhelming with Dave not working. Originally when I'd made the plan to show at nationals this year, I'd assumed I'd have a horse or two sold to help pay these expenses. But I didn't get those horses into the show ring as planned so it didn't look like a sale was happening anytime soon. Even though, we have a couple of things brewing, if I planned on doing entries, I needed to tighten my belt and do some serious budgeting to get this thing done.

It's pretty normal for me when things get too overwhelming to just ignore my issue and move onto other things. For now, that's exactly what I did with this money issue and my national's dream. Instead of dwelling on what I didn't have, I focused on what I did...........the horses, of course, and who I would take if indeed I did get to go.

Originally I had planned on taking at least one of my Legs' babies to show in the maturity classes at nationals. The classes are for junior horses ridden by their amateur owners. They don't require a qualification. You just pay the fee and go. There's a date when the first payment is due for these classes. If the date is missed you pay a penalty but it's still possible to enter the maturity classes even if you don't decide until the time entries are due......but by then the entry is pretty steep...........$780.


To be taking a horse to nationals for that kind of class, I'd have to be pretty darn sure the horse was going to be competitive. I had thought that Louie might just come together for this but by this time I was beginning to think I was really pushing it. I sure didn't want to take him when he wasn't really ready and counting on X number of days training between now and then just was not working out. So..........I dropped Louie off my list to make the show this year.

Next to get axed from this list was Gypcy. While I did think her condition was coming around, it was the issue of money. The reason I wanted to take this mare was so people could see her for a possible sale. But between the additional entry fees AND the additional handler fees, leaving her home would take a chunk of change off that list.

While I decided to leave Gypcy home, I continued with her conditioning. A part of me just couldn't totally let go that something might work out and I could get her sold. Besides with my annual open house just around the corner, I might just as well have her looking her best.......right??

Next I moved onto seeing that my truck was ready to make such a trip. I've had an oil leak I've been trying to get fixed for months. My mechanic and my husband have both been giving me the ole, "it'll keep....." line for way too long. At least I could use my pending trip to apply pressure to get my leak fixed.

The only problem with that turned out to be when Jack started working on my truck all sorts of things reared their ugly heads. Before we were done, we'd spent over $1000 in parts........not to mention labor. The truck was ready for the trip but my wallet was in worse shape than before. I was beginning to feel like nationals was nothing more than a pipe dream.

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



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What's Next..................Entry Fees.........

With my husband being out of work since last October, it's no surprise the biggest problem of all in getting myself and my horses to the US National All Arabian Horse Show has to do with finances. Looking at the prize list and making a quick guesstimate I figured it would cost me somewhere near $1000 a horse.........and that was just for entries.

With 29 head of horses to feed there's just no way there's that kind of money in my budget. I'd counted on getting a horse or two sold to have the money to go. While that hasn't happened yet, the clock was ticking away on the closing date for entries.

Then on a Monday morning, Dave made his usual trip to the state Work Source Center and just happened to run into one of his friends from his old job there. The friend talked Dave into going out for breakfast with him after both men had completed their mandatory module for the week.

This is really not anything unusual from what I can tell. I think that Dave runs into his friends pretty regularly at the work center. I never know what time he's going to get home from that place because of these little side trips he takes with his old buddies from work. It's just something I've gotten used to over this past year.

When Dave did arrive home, I was sitting at the computer. He wasn't much later than usual so I didn't think much about where he'd been. I just listened to him talk, all the while nodding my head like I was listening when I was really doing stuff with my blog. Next thing I know he's asking me how much money I needed to go to nationals. I think I told him I figured it would be close to $3000 for my entries. His response was to shove a wad of $100 bills in my hand saying, "This should help."

Did I happen to mention the breakfast was at a local casino where this friend had a couple of complimentary breakfasts coming? Well, Dave didn't mention it either when he first told me he'd gone with this friend. After their meal, the friend told Dave he was going to take twenty bucks and play just one hand of Pai Gow.........and, of course, Dave (who fancies himself a card player) just couldn't resist doing the same.

Now I know nothing about Pai Gow and I sure didn't know that Dave did either. I don't really know much more about gambling. I work too hard for my money to risk losing it. But Dave can't resist the call of all those possibilities that winning can bring.......and what could twenty bucks hurt? Believe me, the man could have a problem with gambling if he thought I'd let him.......but, thankfully he doesn't push it. He satisfies his love of that thrill of winning with just a bit of dabbling here and there.........and this Monday morning was one of those times.

So Dave and his friend laid down their twenty bucks and got their cards dealt. I couldn't even begin to relay how it went.... with no understanding of the game all I really get is the end result. For Dave that would be a seven card straight flush with a joker. A hand the dealer had never seen in the ten years he's been dealing cards.............Dave won $5000 on that one hand..........and took it and came straight home.

I'm really surprised Dave didn't call me to tell me his news. He said he wanted to surprise me instead. The fact he didn't even hint at anything that happened when he came into the house is really unlike him but he pulled it off. He left me sitting there with my mouth gaping open and $2000 in cash in my hand.

Now being the "good wife" I am, I inquired about the rest of the windfall. After a list of late bills, not to mention our property taxes, it was clear, Dave had given me every cent he could spare...............and I had enough money to take two horses to nationals.........

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



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What's Next................Decisions........

From right after regionals my wheels began to turn. Entries for the US National All Arabian Championships were due at the end of August. With all of the "things" that needed to be figured out, I had some serious thinking to do. Then after the thinking........planning would be necessary as well.

If I was going to show my yearling colt, Secret Envy, in the national jackpot class, I'd have to have a big name handler........or at least a handler that's breaking into the big time. Someone who hadn't yet achieved a top ten or better in the national halter classes would just not due.

Then there were Rhet's issues to be considered. This colt has proven himself to be quite sensitive and he was going to take a sensitive handler. Someone who might get too tough would this colt could ruin not only Rhet's behavior at this show........but could cause lifetime issues. I've come to far to take any chance of that.

Finding someone to catch lead a colt that fit these criteria originally seemed to be the biggest challenge in deciding whether or not Rhet would go to nationals. However, that day at the beginning of Region 5 when Richard called Jesse Saldana that's what the phone call had been about.........not for Jesse to show Rhet at Region 5, but to see if he would commit to showing the colt at US Nationals. Before the end of that phone call, I not only had a handler for Region 5 but one for US Nationals as well.

My colt earned his qualification for the US Nationals at the Region 4 horse show. The only reason I'd shown him at the Region 5 show was to see how another panel of judges would react to this colt to help me decide if I really wanted to make the investment to take Rhet to nationals. I've already gone over those scores and while there was no clear cut answer the consistency provided some comfort. At least my horse should be competitive at that level.

With that decided the next big issue, for me, was whether or not I would take my stallion, Scandalous Legacy, to show in the western pleasure amateur owner class. I've been telling myself for years I would not go to nationals if I had not earned at least a top five in that division.

While we did garner a top five in the select rider class , to me that's not the same thing as the amateur owner class. Most people who show at the national level will tell you that amateur owner division is the toughest competition out there. There is not a class for select riders at the national level...........yet. I hope that day is coming.........but it's just not there. If I want to compete at nationals I must ride against all of the amateur riders in my age division.

Legs and I did not earn a top five in the amateur owner class at Region 4 . You might remember a troll got us right near the end of our ride (instead of the red stallion we so worried about) and Gary Dearth scratched us off his card. Despite that I learned when I checked the judge's cards that we had placed 6th over all in that class even with the break.

Even though we hadn't earned a top five award, placing sixth with a break seemed to say we were competitive in that division. That's what I really want to know before I spend all the money it takes to get to nationals. Is my horse going to be competitive when I get there? If my horse doesn't get caught by a troll, the answer to that question seems to be "Yes." If I do a lot of work on trolls I could be OK.

But..........there always seems to be a but with me........I still had some reservations. That was partly why I had wanted to take Legs along with Rhet to Region 5. Another panel of judges and their opinions could better answer this question for me.

But finances got the best of that option and Legs stayed home. Not only did it feel terribly odd to be there without him, I didn't get that input from the judges. I did, however, do the next best thing. I made it a point to watch the class to see how I thought my horse was going in comparison to the others I've been riding against all year.

That class was an eye opener for me. I ride against a standard I have set in my mind......not one I see in the ring. My horse isn't at that standard yet........but neither were the horses in this class. Watching these rides, it made sense to me that my horse had been used by the judges as he had. With probably three more months of schooling, my horse might just be where I think he needs to be for the nationals class.So now if I could just solve my next problem, we might just make it to nationals after all.

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






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What's Next..........Part 2

Normally after the regional championships I'd move right into the planning for my annual open house. However, this year there were some things in the way. There was the closing of entries for the Canadian National Horse Show, the C-Fair Charity Horse Show that I was to manage the end of July, the actual Canadian National Horse Show in August and the closing of entries for the US National Horse Show at the end of August........oh and did I forget to mention the new puppy? So right after regionals, I needed to shift gears and begin making some decisions as well as deal with the new puppy coming to live here.

First up was the question to take Gypcy to Canada or not for her three year old futurity. I was really on the fence about this. I'd spoken to Cheryl Fletcher in Salem at the Region 4 Championships and I was supposed to take the filly up to Silver Aspen for an evaluation. I'd also spoken to Dennis Wigren about this same thing and I was supposed to follow up with him for an evaluation as well but I was really dragging my feet.

To be honest, I'm not sure if Gypcy is really a halter filly. I'm pretty darn sure she'll make an amazing hunter pleasure horse, but halter leaves me with big questions. Those questions stem from her conformation. She's just not my idea of what a halter horse should be. HOWEVER, with that being said, I'll be the first to tell you I've been beaten by horses with conformation just like Gypcy's. Just because she's not my ideal doesn't mean she's not the ideal of others......some of those being judges so that's to be considered.

Then there was the question of her condition and her weight. I had started late in the spring beginning this process of getting this filly into shape. While Gypcy was looking better and better all the time, I wasn't sure if her condition would be at peak in time for the Royal Red.

Also there's the fact that going into Canada with horses requires some special things and sometimes to me, they seem daunting. They are just not in my normal train of thought in preparing for horse shows so somehow they take on this life of their own like some ghouls in the night. Especially on years like this where there are restrictions because of vesicular stomatitis which adds special needs. Keeping up with this stuff is a nightmare in my book. I don't know how the professionals keep track of all of it.

I did get my enhanced driver's license on my last birthday solely for the purpose of having proper identification to drive across the Canadian border and back for horse shows. So at least I had that part done. But there's a state issued health certificate along with the usual Coggins test that must be dealt with. And our state requires a brand inspection even though the horse may have NO brand, this inspection is a must...........so anyone thinking that NAIS won't be a big pain should consider the expense the current system has, with a national system it can only get worse.

Added to this was the fact we had someone planning to come see Louie. It was looking more and more like her only available time would interfere with my plans to take Gypcy and Legs to Canada to show. (Did I not mention that if I took Gypcy, I would take Legs. Afterall he was qualified for both national shows not just one.) Although there was probably more chance of Gypcy doing well in Canada than US because the classes are usually smaller and probably the same could be said of Legs. But by the time entries were ready to close, I'd made the decision to pass on the Royal Red mostly because of this preset appointment with this woman.

Looking back at this decision and the number of horses entered in Gypcy's class, I probably blew it. Only nine fillies showed which would have guaranteed Gypcy a part of the futurities purse I'd been paying into for years. Then there was the fact the woman looking at Louie didn't bother to show..........nor to cancel her appointment with Richard and me. I'm pretty sure that Canada would have been a lot more fun than that.

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




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What's Next on this Arabian Horse Breeder's Farm

It seems like for years it's always been about the regional championships. Once those have been over, our show season was pretty much done. There were a couple of small shows in late summer and early fall and, of course, my annual open house but other than that it was more of a wind down time until the following show season.

This year, however, things have been different. Right from the start my goal was to show at the US All Arabian National Championships. My horse earned enough points last year to show but he just was not "there" yet so I opted to spend the winter getting the horse more competitive.

There was always the possibility that would not happen. It's been along slow process teaching this horse how to use himself correctly and the time table has always been his and not mine. Whether or not he would really be "there" this time around was just a hope..........never a promise.

Another plan last fall was to get at least one if not more of the Legs' babies ready to make the trip to the national show too. There are maturity performance classes there, as well as futurities, so even a horse wasn't ready early enough to be qualified for the junior division, we'd still have the options of one of those nominated type classes. We started three geldings with the hope that at least the older ones would be ready if not all three. Again..........this was another hope.........never a promise.

Early last November the "secret" came to live on this farm. If he was really the high powered horse I thought, with him came a new set of planning. Like any yearling colt with a lot of promise halter seems to be the way to get them into the limelight. Regional yearling sweepstakes classes to qualify and then on to the US Nationals for the yearling jackpot classes if, and only if, things went as planned. So once again.........this was another hope...........never a promise.

Like that isn't enough, I realized in the early spring this was Gypcy's three year old year. While that might not mean anything to some, to me if screamed of the Canadian and US National Halter Futurities. I'd been paying those nomination fees each year since this filly was born. The three year old year is when the classes I paid all those fees for are actually held so it was now or never. And yet again...........this was another hope..........never a promise.

There's a lot of "hope" dangling there in these last paragraphs. Behind each of them, there are criteria that must be met for the hopes to turn into something else. And then, there's always that bottom line..........all the hopes in the world aren't worth a lick without the good old cash it takes to makes all of this happen.

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

Part 2



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Region 5 Championships.......The Judges Scores

Part 1

You'd think with all that time away from home getting little sleep I'd be able to sleep in my own bed, wouldn't you? I hit that bed like a rock and went to sleep fairly easily........only to awake at about 1:30.........and after that, there was no more sleep for me.

With all the tossing and turning I'd done, I might just as well gotten out of bed and began looking over those judges scores. Once I awoke my brain would just not shut off, it kept churning the possibilities over and over. Maybe if I'd looked at the scores I'd have gotten back to sleep..........but then, knowing me I'd probably have moved onto planning strategies or making decisions. Who knows...........all I know is I sure didn't get much sleep.

When I did get up, the first thing I did after checking my emails and turning Rhet out to play, was check the judges scores. I was curious to see how Rhet had stacked up against the other colts in that class.

As I've mentioned before I really like this scoring system. It gives me the opportunity to see how each horse is viewed by each judge on its separate parts instead of just an overall view. Having seen some of these colts up close and personal helped me know more specifically how they compared in my view. Now I could see if the judges had seen the same things or not.

The first thing I noticed about these scores was the range was very different from those at Region 4. Then I had expected that since I'd thought this class was deeper. The low scores were as low as they'd been at four but the highs went higher.

The Enzo colt was not only the winner.....he was a unanimous champion. He didn't get just the highest scores in the class for his head. He got them as well for quality and type. Looking at that seems to suggest quality and type are greatly influenced by the head on an individual. I would have thought them to be more an overall impression......but then I haven't been to judge's school.

Other than the Enzo colt the judges seemed to be all over the place. However, two judges. Brian Murch and Beth Stover, did select the same five horses for the top five. Those five horses were the horses to place top five.

One judge, Beth Stover, placed all ten horses exactly as they ended up ranked in the class. There were 39 points between her first place horse and her last place horse. She scored Rhet 17 points under the Enzo colt but only 2 under the reserve champion colt. The fourth colt on her card was 3 points under Rhet. Rhet received 24 more points that the last horse on her card.

On Brian Murch's card, Rhet was only 4 points lower than the winner but he was still third on that card. The horse that ended up fourth overall (the Magnum Chall colt) received one more point that Rhet, making that horse second on Brian's card. The reserve champion was scored 6 points under Rhet by this judge as well so he really liked two colts better than the colt that ended up reserve. The point spread for high to low for this judge was 34 points. Rhet was 23 points higher than the lowest horse for this judge.

Gordon Potts, on the other hand, used two different horses in his top five picks than those selected by the other two judges In addition his low score was only 13 points off his high score. The horse that placed tenth in this class was third on Gordon's card. (It might be interesting to note this horse was not led by a big name handler in case some might wonder if this higher placing was politics. The handler was a relatively unknown. Gordon just liked this horse.)

Rhet was tied with another horse for fifth position on Gordon Pott's card. Rhet received only 4 points more than the lowest horse with this judge but then he was only 9 under the winner. In actuality, it was this low score that kept Rhet from being a reserve champion. (Rhet received 4 points less total score than the reserve horse.) Looking at the individual scores on each section I'd say quality, type, neck and body were the scores from Gordon Potts that affected Rhet's overall score. With that being said, I might add Gordon Potts scored Rhet the same total as two of the three judges at Region 4.

So if you've managed to follow all of this, what did all of this mean to me? It told me the worst scores I've seen for this horse had actually given him a reserve championship at Region 4, yet cost him the same at Region 5. Mostly it said that his scores were pretty solid. While they might go up under some judges, they probably would not go down under most.

To me that pretty much sounds like what I believe about my colt. He's a good solid individual. For me that meant taking Rhet to nationals might be a pretty safe bet.




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Region 5 Championships....... The Colt's Class...Placings Part 2

Part 1

My Arabian yearling colt on the other hand had different ideas. For him the show was not over just because he'd exited the arena. With people milling around outside there was still an audience. For Rhet that meant showtime.

As soon as the lead had exchanged hands between Jesse Saldana and me, Rhet curled his tail over his back and began to prance. Snorting and blowing he clearly called for attention. We may have been making our way back towards his stall but my colt was taking the opportunity to strut his stuff.

Rhet wasn't trying to drag me. He made sure he stayed in his required box at my side. Yet every step had enough impulsion to cause that floaty trot the Arabian horse is known for as my colt trotted nearly in place. All the while Rhet turned his head from side to side as if surveying his kingdom.

I would have laughed out loud at this display but I didn't want to offend him. To Rhet this was serious business and I wanted him to keep believing in it. As long as he has this show horse attitude, he'll get us where we're going.

I heard several comments along the way as we made our way back to Rhet's stall. This exhibition was not going unnoticed. This shadow in the night was gaining a following. At the sound of each voice the colt just blew all the louder.

It wasn't until we actually moved into the permanent barn that Rhet came down at all. The prancing stopped.......and so did the snorting and blowing.....but the colt still held his head high as he surveyed the world around him. The audience may have been gone but Rhet was still drinking in the excitement of this night.

Even when I put the horse into the stall and tried to wipe the oils from his face, Rhet was still "up" with excitement. He forgot about the fear of someone reaching towards his poll and just enjoyed the towel rubbing on his face. Only when it was time to remove the show halter did the horse change gears.

I had to go through the whole routine of putting the stable halter over the show halter while pulling the crown piece far down his neck taking the pressure off the show halter at the horse's poll. Next I dismantled the show halter by first removing the lead and the chain. Then I was able to push the halter up towards the colt's poll to loosen its grip on that position. Once it popped up, I quickly slipped the crown over Rhet's ears and pulled it down his face.

Rhet flew backwards with this last move and stood at the back wall shaking his head. I gave him a minute to think about what had just happened. Then I moved closer to remove the stable halter. This time Rhet just stood there to be turned loose. Maybe he was beginning to get this whole thing.

By this time Dave arrived back at the stalls with a copy of the score sheet. All I really wanted to know at this time was how my colt had placed in this class. The actual scores I would look at tomorrow when I was home. Dave had already checked that placing.............Rhet was scored third overall.

I put the score sheet in a safe place and the feverish packing began. Dave hooked up my horse trailer and by the time he brought it around, I had everything ready to load.

I had no problem catching Rhet in his stall this time. The colt must have sensed we were going home. He walked right up to me, even dropped his head just a bit as I put on his halter.

I walked the colt out of the barn and around the corner to the horse trailer. Rhet didn't hesitate from one moment. He jumped into that horse trailer with an attitude that clearly spoke, "It's about time!" Rhet was ready to head home.

It took all of twenty minutes and we were pulling out of the parking lot and headed home. I'd hoped to have Dave drive because I was exhausted from a day of wrestling with Rhet. But Dave's not all that comfortable pulling horses so in the end I did most of the driving. It was midnight by the time we reached home.

As we turned the corner onto our street, the horse trailer began to rock and roll. Above my noisy diesel I could hear Rhet's voice announcing his return. I swear every horse on our farm answered him. By the time I took the horse off the trailer all the "hellos" had been said. Rhet walked quietly into his stall looking for a midnight snack. I closed his stall door and headed for my own bed. I'd think about the events of this night tomorrow, for now, all I wanted was sleep.

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

The Judges Scores



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Region 5 Championships....... The Colt's Class...Placings

Part 1

The colt after Rhet was led by Cheryl Fletcher, Rhet's handler at Region 4. By Khadraj NA this colt looked like a horse you could ride later down the rode. I think he was a little rattled by all the commotion in the ring. He was a bit naughty. Looking at the way he trotted away, I'd say a western horse.

After that there was another colt by NYN Hisani. It seems to me there were also colts by Marwan El Shaquab, Magnum Psyche, Magnum Chall, Out of Cyte, QR Marc and of course, the Enzo colt, I'd seen schooling earlier in the day. The second Marwan El Shaquab colt nor the Jakarta colt I had been waiting to see never did make the ring. None the less it was a class packed with offspring of some real powerhouses in the Arabian industry. It would be interesting to see where Rhet fit into this group.

The handler stood the Enzo colt up at an odd angle for me to really see him. I was glad I'd had the opportunity to see him earlier or I wouldn't have any idea what kind of horse he was. Only as the handler trotted the horse away from the judges and down the rail was I able again to see that beautiful face. Looking at these judges, is was still betting this colt would win the class.

From there I really didn't know what to think. I had my own idea of how I would place the class but just exactly what this panel of judges would do was beyond me. I'd have to wait with the rest of the crowd to see what horses they'd picked.

There were only two more colts to show after the Enzo colt. Both of these colts were owned by friends of mine. The first one, by Out of Cyte, I had heard about but never seen before and frankly it wasn't until later that I even knew this was the colt I had been told about. A little odd, I guess, but one of those things that can happen in horse showing.

The second one, by QR Marc, I had seen as a weanling. Now he had a big name handler on the end of the lead. His owner had told Rhet's breeder that he thought Rhet was an ok colt but he didn't hold a candle to his QR Marc son. It would be interesting to see how he fared with the judges now.

When the judging was done, all the colts were ushered to the opposite end of the arena. There almost immediately the top ten was placed. I don't know if that was because the scorer for the class was quick or because there were only ten colts in the class but at least there wasn't much standing around for the colts to get bored and begin playing games like they had a Region 4. The handlers were pretty prompt at getting their colts up to accept their lavender Sweepstakes ribbons.

Almost immediately, the announcer moved on to calling out the top five horses. Those numbers are always called in alphabetical order. When the first number started at 390 with the colt led by Robin Hopkinson, I figured it was a pretty good chance that Rhet had received a top five.

The next number called was 404. This was the colt by Magnum Psyche led by Terry Holmes. The next number in the class was 444. They'd told me in the office when they handed me that number that it was a "good" one. Now as I heard it called by the announcer, I guessed maybe they were right. Rhet had at least earned a top five.

As Jesse took Rhet up to claim his prize, the colt perked up. He was getting the hang of this neck ribbon thing.......standing there quietly while it was hung around his neck, then charging off with his tail over his back proudly strutting his stuff.

After him there were two more horses numbers called out. Horse number 445, the Magnum Chall colt, was lead by Sandro Pinah and owned by Travis Hansen (another big halter name). He was followed by 449, the Enzo colt. I was pretty sure when I heard that number I'd been right about these judges.
The only question in my mind was who was going to be the reserve champion.

It didn't take long for the answer. The announcer caller out number 390.....Auston DPA shown by Robin Hopkinson and owned by Kristi Hopp. Then I took a deep breath......hoping I was wrong.........waiting for the annoucement of the winner..........knowing what I would hear..........Leander PA by Enzo,shown by Joao Rodrigues and owned by Pomeroy Arabians of Scottsdale, Arizona, colt number 449.

I felt a brief twinge of disappointment but it was ok. There's always that hope of winning but the winner was as I expected. I had hoped Rhet just might get another reserve. Now I was on to other things. Having slept in the back of my horse trailer for four nights (there were no rooms available at the last minute), I was focused on packing up and heading home.

I didn't even wait around for the victory pass of the top five horses. I scurried down out of the stands to meet Jesse at the out gate when he arrived. I'd already asked Dave to stop by the show office to collect a copy of the score sheets for the class. Where Rhet placed in this top five would affect my decision about going to nationals........but for now, I wasn't thinking about nationals.........or scores.............only about sleeping in my own bed.

As I reached the gate, Jesse was just coming out with Rhet. He handed me the lead and my lavender ribbon and turned to talk to another handler. I didn't wait around for any casual conversation.I needed to get my horse back to his stall so I could get our stuff packed and headed down the road.

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

The Placings Part 2



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Region 5 Championships....... The Colt's Class Part 2

Part 1

My stomach was turning itself inside out by this point so I was having an internal debate whether to make a quick run to the restroom or stick it out and not miss a minute of this class. Then too, I was really wondering why I was putting myself, and my colt, through another horse show like this. My rolling stomach was telling me it just wasn't worth it.

My colt was standing over on the opposite rail watching the competition enter the ring. He didn't looked stressed.........and he didn't look bored...........he looked confident...........attentive. Maybe I wasn't ready for all of this horse show stress but it was clear my horse was. I decided to just quite worrying and turn my attention towards the colts. There were a couple entered in the program I was looking forward to seeing.

I don't always catch the numbers as horses enter the ring and sometimes handlers are changed so you can't always tell by that. As the handlers were instructed to walk their colts on the rail keeping track of who these colts were was enough to help my nerves settle a bit. By the time they were lined back up on the rail, I'd totally forgotten about my rolling stomach.

The first colt to show was the horse Robin Hopkinson was leading. She'd shown the horse in Scotsdale and he'd almost garnered a top ten placing 11th in the final. Looking at him now on the rail, I'd wondered why she'd been waiting to verify condition. This colt was buff. It was obvious he'd been in conditioning much longer than Rhet.

I must admit I have never really paid much attention to how Robin Hopkinson shows a horse. I've always known she'd started off with Michael Byatt. I guess that was enough for me to think she knew her job but now that I had actually talked to the woman about showing my colt, I watched her intently. Funny how little things can cause changes like that.

When the judges finished with the first colt, Jesse had Rhet already standing on the rail as they turned to look at him. The colt stood up like he was an old pro. He even locked his ears in tight as Jesse asked. Somehow Rhet looked older in this class even though it had only been a couple of weeks since the last show.

Jesse walked the colt forward as the ring steward instructed. When he hit the center point in the arena he turned the colt facing the ingate and walked Rhet forward into position. I could feel my heart pounding right out of my chest as Jesse raised his hand asking the colt to "show." Rhet didn't disappoint. He locked in solid on his feet and gave his neck to Jesse at the same time keeping it up high like he'd been taught. At the same time he was doing a good job of keeping his back nice and tight. I was really pleased with the way the colt showed.

Another thing I noticed even in this dark arena I could see the sheen on Rhet's coat and it wasn't just where the light from overhead hit. The darkest colt in the ring with very little white on him, I'd expected him to get lost out there. Yet there he was standing up there looking pretty impressive........well, at least to me. We'd see what the judges had to think.

I wondered how the colt was going to do with trotting off. We'd worked hard on that after the problems at Region 4. Jesse had planned to do a little work on that too but both of us had forgotten so it slipped by. I was crossing my fingers I wasn't going to see any of that stilted stiff legged trot I'd seen before.

Rhet actually trotted off pretty well. Then Jesse tried to go to the off side to show the colt off better but poor Rhet hadn't been schooled on the off side. He didn't know what to think. Being as protective as this colt is he tried to escape breaking into a canter and turning away.

Jesse quickly blocked Rhet but the damage had already been done. Rhet was worried about what was coming next and didn't want to settle. Jesse, however, stayed quiet with him circling I think about three times before he actually got Rhet to really relax and trot. The whole time the judges stood there patiently waiting. They didn't turn away until Jesse had gone down the arena with Rhet trotting at his side.

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

The Placings



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Region 5 Championships....... The Colt's Class

Part 1

As we got closer to the arena I could see Jesse Saldana waiting in the darkness. I must admit I couldn't wait to turn this colt over to him. But when we arrived, the stallion's class was still waiting to be pinned. There wasn't another colt in sight. It would be sometime before it was Rhet's turn.

Like many halter trainers Jesse didn't want to take possession of the colt until the very last minute. They feel it keeps their horse "fresh" by not giving them any added time to get familiar with what is expected of them. So while Jesse visited with Angie and Richard, I stood with Rhet off near the outdoor arena taking in the the activities around us.

Rhet stayed "up" intently tracking every movement around him. Dogs, horses, people, it didn't matter. Rhet was surveying his world.......somehow sensing what was to come........or maybe he was smelling the testosterone in the air of the stallions in the ring......or maybe, just maybe one particular stallion..........that of his father. Whatever it was the colt was mesmerized.

Sometimes Rhet forgot that I was there and started to take off on his own to investigate. A swift reminder stopped his movement and brought him back only briefly to me. Standing in the darkness there was much for him to see even if it was beyond my vision. Sometimes the colt called out. It wasn't a plaintive call but a beckoning one. "Don't you know I'm here!" This attitude was what Jeff Schall had found so special in this colt.

Finally we could hear the announcer saying the numbers were being verified. It was at that point that Jesse Saldana took Rhet for a brief schooling session before it was time to enter the ring. I was relieved to hand the colt over. The colt's excitement had left me exhausted.

At first Rhet ignored the transfer of his lead to Jesse. A brief reminder was all it took for Rhet to notice the change. He immediately turned from the inquisitive colt into the trained show horse focusing his attention on something other than his surroundings for the first time since he'd left that stall. It took just a couple of set-ups for Jesse to have the horse he wanted to lead into the ring.

By now the stallions had begun to emerge from the arena. Slowly at first as each horse of the top five took their individual victory lap then exited the arena. Some stopped at the photographer's booth to get win pictures while the reserve champion and champion remained in the ring getting their final moments of glory. The last to emerge, these two horses finally showed themselves.

In the darkness I could only see silhouettes of both horses as they passed across the way. Voices carried across the night air told me one of them was NYN Hisani. I strained to see this horse, Rhet's sire, but all I saw was an outline underneath a tree as this horse and his handler passed by. Even without light, I recognized "that neck" that sets Hisani apart.......that neck that Rhet wears so well. Richard told me later Hisani had taken the reserve championship.

It was at this point I checked in with Jesse to see if he needed anything from me before I headed to the arena. My stomach began to roll in anticipation of the coming class. Something about another showing my horse always gets to me but with this particular horse it is much worse. I think it was Angie that said for me to go ahead they would do whatever Jesse might need. I gratefully headed off and found a seat with a couple of my breeder friends in the arena.

The next time I saw Rhet the colt was coming through the ingate. I was surprised to see he was the second colt to enter the ring. The rules require they bring the horses in by age with the oldest first. Rhet had been in the middle of the pack at Region 4. Yet in this group, here he was up front.

Many fear that being first or second can cost you in this new way of scoring. They think the judges start off conservatively so they have somewhere to go for outstanding characteristics they might see later. I guess we were going to have to wait and see how or if this affected Rhet.

It was interesting the difference between this arena and the one is Salem and how that affected the "look" of the presentation. In Salem those high white walls make the horses seem to "pop" into view. Here in Monroe with its low see through rail (that I hate) the horses come into view before they ever actually step a foot in the ring. The result is less dramatic..........less magical......less engaging for the crowd.

Also this rail puts the audience right there in front of the horses instead of overhead like Salem. I'd had to spend a couple of nights schooling Rhet to even get him close to this rail. He wanted to turn and face it instead of run beside it. Now as he came into the ring, it was obvious I'd done the right thing with that extra schooling. The colt showed concern about the crowd but still comfortable enough to stay parallel to his handler. Many of the colts did not.

It was clear from the start this class it was not just the entrance that was less dramatic than at Region 4. There was no overall crowd favorite only little pockets of people rooting for their own colt with a sprinkling of appreciation for a nice colt thrown in here and there. The "flavor" just was not there.........no fuel to fire up a horse with a big attitude.

And the colts were different too. There wasn't one colt in this class Rhet had shown against in Salem. Besides Jessem there were two handlers that had shown in Salem. A new day..........a new set of judges......a new challenge..........was Rhet up for it? Better yet, was I?

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

The Colt's Class Part 2



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Region 5 Championships....... a Little More Waiting

Part 1

At least in this new location I had the use of a ready room. I took the colt into it to begin working on his feet. I think Angie came in to help me so I didn't have to cross tie Rhet. He was too fractious to trust trying that. Even though he doesn't know Angie well, Rhet stood for her ok while I applied the spray on polish.

The colt's hooves must have still had some moisture because the polish just wouldn't set. Then Rhet's fidgeting caused him to nick a hoof several times. Each time I'd have to apply more spray to touch it up.

The end result were hooves that looked covered with sagging nail polish. You know that look when you've touched the polish too early and it's smooshed up a bit. There was no fixing it.The look was just plain gross. But we were running out of time, I had to settle. There just wasn't time to strip them down and start over again.

Once the hooves were finally dry to the touch we put Rhet back into his stall to wait for our designated time. I don't know about him but I needed a break before we moved onto the next step in this process.

When it was time to catch the colt up, he was waiting for me. As I approached the stall he moved to the back with his eyes bugging right out of his head. You'd think from his expression I'd turned into one of those dreaded trolls that terrorizes him.

I took a deep breath as I stepped into his stall. I cast my eyes low and talked softly keeping the stable halter tight against my body as I approached. Rhet wasn't sure what to do, which way to go, all he knew was he wanted out of there........and not with me.

I managed to get close enough to catch him. The colt tentatively stood as I reached my arms around his neck. Yet when lifted up the stable halter Rhet raised up as well and threw himself backwards almost taking me to the ground. The frightened colt's eyes told the story as beads of sweat began to form on his neck. Catching Rhet was going to take some maneuvering.

I can't even remember all the specifics of what it took to get that stable halter on Rhet. But I clearly remember that sound as the colt threw himself into stall walls trying to escape sometimes taking me with him. Each time I prayed he wouldn't hurt himself and wondered what it was going to take to put the show halter on.

When I finally did get the horse haltered, I asked Richard to hold the colt as I tried to put the show halter over it. Of course, the stall door was closed so Rhet didn't get ideas about leaving as I went through my procedure of threading that halter over my arm so I could grab the horse by the nose to get the halter on his face.

At my first movement towards his lips, Rhet reared throwing himself backwards. Richard tried to block his movement but the colt was too fast. He slipped out behind me escaping to the opposite corner. It seems like this scenario played over and over as Richard and I figured out the colt's tactics. Each time he made a defensive move, we came up with a counter for our next attempt. There was lots of crashing and banging and more than once I nearly hit the floor but eventually we had the show halter on Rhet's face.

Considering the amount of fight the horse had used to avoid this halter, he was reasonably good about getting the stable halter removed from underneath. Not that I saw the horse relax but he did come down just a bit. Other than charging out the door, he walked pretty well up into the ready room.

There Angie helped me again. This time to groom the horse, and apply the grease. I'm pretty particular about how I like my show horses groomed but this day whatever we could get was going to have to do. I was already exhausted and sweaty and I still had to get the horse up to the ring. All I wanted was this job done.

Rhet was again reasonable..........that's not good...........just manageable, I guess going through this procedure. Wiping out his ears was tough and the colt really worked hard to stand for the body spray. It was clear the horse was trying but his eyes spoke of fear. I couldn't help but feel for Rhet. He was like a victim of war with post traumatic stress. How I wish I could go back to the day he was born to make this outcome different.

When the grooming was finally done, we put the stable halter back on over the top of the show halter. By now the colt was feeling caught with little fight against the added equipment. I got a rag to make sure I had no grease on my hands before I stepped with him out into the world. I positioned the leads to make sure I had a firm grip. I wasn't taking any chances of losing Rhet on the way to the ring. Someone handed me the halter whip as we headed out the door. We made the turn down the barn aisle headed for the ring.

Now Rhet's expression changed from one of fear to one of excitement. The transformation was almost instantaneous. I had to keep reminding the colt to stay with me instead of getting ahead. I did some heavy shanking to get the colt's attention. Then I had to follow up with lighter but continuous reminders. Rhet's entire attention was focused towards the arena.

As we stepped out of the permanent barn into the crisp night air the colt was energized. His tail flagged over his back as we made our way past the other barns to our designated place to meet Jesse Saldana. Still those light continuous reminders were enough to keep this horse in place beside me.

I couldn't help but think about the differences between this brave colt and the terrorized one back in the groom stall. His big but fragile ego evident. Also evident was his almost childlike willingness to please. Despite all the difficulties I was beginning to grow very fond of this colt.

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

The Colt's Class



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Patrick Swayze Loses His Fight.........

I already had my post written for tonight but with the passing of Patrick Swayze it just doesn't seem fitting. It was January when I posted about Swayze, his cancer and Arabian horses.


I have watched and listened for his progress wishing the man well but knowing that the odds were against him. Cancer is an ugly disease. Dying from it even uglier. I have know it up close and all way too personal in both regards. Watching someone close to me both as a child and an adult, I feel for the patient as well as his/her caregivers.

I can't help but feel if this had to be the outcome that I am glad his struggle is finally over. Yet I so wish it had ended differently.The Arabian horse lost a great friend and advocate in Patrick. He will be missed. May he rest in peace.

Region 5 Championships....... a Little Waiting

The evening session had begun before we were ever finished with my Arabian yearling colt's makeover for showing. Being the last class of the session meant now it was time for waiting. Waiting for the "right" time to do the final preparation on Rhet.

Waiting for the handler, Jesse Saldana, to decided exactly when that was. When would he want the colt up to the ring? It was an answer I was yet to have..........and I hate dangling. There's nothing worse to me than waiting for someone else to decide what I'm going to do.

Part of the problem getting an answer was the show schedule itself. There were lots of halter classes in this evening session. As I recall the yearling fillies also showed that night, the stallions and one other class. Mixed in between were an assortment of English type classes. The riding classes are fairly easy to gauge on time. It is the halter classes that keep you guessing.

So for now, I watched Rhet pace in this new stall. You'd have thought we moved the horse to another facility the way he was acting. Each new person or horse that came by stirred him up. He was obviously uncomfortable with his new surroundings. Would there be any horse left when it was time to show? Who knew?

My friends who had come to see the class all sat around at the stalls waiting too. That is except for Dan, he was out scouting for beer. As it turned out I wouldn't see Dan again for the rest of the night, he'd done what Chris told him to do, help me get the colt bathed and clipped, and now he was gone.

Finally the call came from Jesse on when he wanted Rhet up to the ring. Looking at the time I decided to check the colt's hooves to see if they were dry enough to polish. Then I crossed my fingers and hoped he'd stand still long enough for that to happen.This was the same location where I'd tried to sand Rhet's feet earlier in the day. He hadn't been good then but at least now I had help.

I went into the stall to catch the horse to get things started. I wanted to allow plenty of drying time. Moisture from his late bath could really reek havoc on drying time if not make an overall mess and I really wanted to avoid that if at all possible.

The minute the stall door opened, the colt flew to the back wall and began climbing. Trying to catch him brought back memories of those very first days I'd owned him. The old Rhet had returned..........

Just chasing the colt around the stall trying to get him cornered made me sweat. By the time I did get my arms around his neck and his nose in the stable halter my glasses were steamed. Then I couldn't see what I was doing so I was working by rote.

Rote may be fine with some horse but it's not a good thing when dealing with the old Rhet. I found myself trying hard to protect my already broken nose Somehow I managed to get the crown piece flipped over without touching his poll but as I fumbled with the buckle, Rhet broke free nearly knocking me t the floor. Then I needed to unfog my glasses before I could even pursue the wired colt.

Richard was outside the stall asking if he could help. But at that point another person in the stall would only make things more dangerous. I didn't want anyone to get hurt dealing with this colt.

Believe me I was wishing Dan was there. I think Rhet would have allowed Dan to catch him.......but then maybe I'm wrong. When Rhet looses it........he does it good. But I'll never know for sure because Dan was nowhere around.

It seemed like forever until I finally caught the colt. Then standing with the halter on he gave a big sigh and I thought maybe things would get better. I checked his hooves for moisture but it really didn't matter, with the time left, I had to begin polishing his feet. Whatever I ended up with was going to have to be it.

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

A Little More Waiting



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Region 5 Championships.......a Little Grooming......

Part 1

Dan arrived soon after I'd discovered that Rhet had totally renovated his stall. Even though Dan has spent a goodly amount of time as a show manager too, he couldn't help but chuckle at the damage Rhet had done. Knowing this colt up close and personal probably explained a lot he'd been wondering about over the years with those other trashed stalls. At least now we could both understand what motivates a horse to do such damage.

Rhet on the other hand was thinking all the white stuff littered around his stall was great fun. He was picking up pieces in his mouth and throwing them in the air. When that game go boring he began stomping on the Styrofoam pieces like they were tiddly winks flipping them around. The farther a piece flew the more tickled Rhet was.

I must admit I had to give this colt credit for his creativity. But I was worried about him swallowing some of this stuff and plugging his intestines up. I know that shipping pellets are considered dangerous to wildlife for just that reason so it was time to get Rhet out of there and onto the business of getting him groomed.

The wash racks in the permanent barns at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe are little cubicles made of cinder block. Knowing Rhet's proclivity for throwing himself into walls, I was concerned about working on the colt there.

The light was horrible in Rhet's now mutilated stall and I needed somewhere enclosed to clip the colt. There was no way that Rhet was going to stand quietly to be clipped out in the open or in an aisle way. That left us with those darn wash stalls as our only option.

At the very sound of the clippers being turned on Rhet threw his head up into the air and headed for the corner. Dan, however, has had lots of practice with this colt's antics and he was ready for him. Before Rhet knew what hit him, Dan had grabbed the end of the colt's nose while staring him in the eye and ordering him to "Quit!" Believe me when Dan said "Quit!" Rhet did!

I might mention here that Dan is not a little guy. He's over six feet tall and I'll be kind and not guess his weight.........suffice it to say........Dan's a big man. Rhet must have had immediate flashbacks to being a baby because he did NOT fight Dan the way he fights me. It was clear I had the right man for the job getting this horse clipped....................and bathed.

Not that we didn't have our issues. Rhet tried every chance he got to escape but Dan was always ready for him. He had this quiet way of warning the colt or he'd just plain muscle him into compliance. All I can say it was effective. We got it done.........the clipping that it.

The bathing was a little bit different. Rhet danced around a lot like he'd never felt colt water before when I think the truth is he's never had it warm. None the less, the colt didn't want to hold still and wet it was harder for Dan to grab his nose. Still we got through it without Rhet getting scarred up on those cinder block walls.

Somewhere in the middle of our grooming session, Richard, Angie, Dave and Lindsay finally arrived. So there was an audience to witness all of Rhet's antics. Sometimes I wonder if that doesn't just give him reason to "perform."

When the bathing was finished it was on to rasping the colt's feet. His days of digging to China had taken there toll. Richard looked at them and shook his head. He had his work cut out for him.

Of course, being in different surroundings Rhet didn't think having his feet touched, let alone held, was a good idea. Again the dancing began. Richard did some dancing of his own trying not to be stomped on. By the time Rhet's feet were looking nice an round again, Richard and I were both dripping in sweat. Now it was time to find a clean empty stall to put the colt into so he could dry.

I'd been offered the use of a couple of stalls in different locations. Deciding which one would be best for Rhet was kind of a crap shoot. I finally opted for the one on the outside of a permanent barn just because it was cooler.

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

A Little Waiting


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Region 5 Championships.......a Little Architecture......

Part 1

After Claudia Mitchell's class on Market Jitters, I went back to my stall to check on my Arabian yearling colt. Rhet was evidently rattled by my attempt to sand his feet and he was back digging holes to China. I texted Richard reminding him to bring his rasp.......we were going to need it.

The colt was also taking some time to visit the neighbors behind who by now had become good friends. I could hear them laughing and giggling at his antics. It's a good thing the colt thrives on laughter because it created a diversion from some of that digging.

As it got later and later with still no help I called Dan and Chris, the colt's breeders, on the phone. One of the reasons I'd decided to show in this region was so they could see Rhet shown. Yet, due to an emergency situation with one of their dogs at home, they'd decided not to come.

Chris could tell from the sound of my voice that I was stressed. It was after 4:30 and I didn't even have the colt clipped yet nor could I do it without help. I had no idea when anyone would arrive so I could get started.

Then there was the issue of clipping Rhet's ears. I always try to do that kind of clipping a couple of days ahead of time just in case hair happens to fall down into the ear. Horses with hair in their ears don't "use" their ears when asked and a halter horse with "no ears" is not a good thing.

With a colt like Rhet there's a good chance of making mistakes anyway and getting hair where it doesn't belong. The closer I got to my deadline without help the odds of these kinds of things would surely go up. Stress never makes for a "good" horse.

Knowing exactly what I meant about all of this stuff with Rhet Chris could see why I was stressed. When we got off the phone she told Dan to get his b*tt in the car because I needed help. Then she called me back to tell me help was on the way. I went up to the arena again to kill more time while I waited for Dan.

Dan called when he was pulling into the parking lot at the fairgrounds. I told hin where he could find Rhet's stall and headed back that way to meet him. As I got came out of the permanent barn towards the portable I looked over to see my colt standing in the doorway looking out and I saw something peculiar. It looked like Rhet had somehow acquired a set of very large "buck teeth."

That picture only lasted for just an instant but my mind raced with the possibilities. What in the heck had Rhet had in his mouth that could look like that. I ran to the stall to see what he'd gotten himself into this time.

As I looked into the stall, I couldn't believe my eyes. There was Styrofoam everywhere. In the last hour and a half Rhet had managed to "remodel" his portable stall. By tearing down one of the heavy tarp panels on the lower portion of the stall walls the colt had exposed the Styrofoam barrier inside. Then he'd broken that white panel into an assortment of chunks and shreds.

Now, I've spent lots of time working as barn manager or show manager at some fairly big horse shows. I've seen portable stalls be destroyed a time or two and I can tell you that Rhet's job on this stall ranked right up there with the best of them. They wouldn't be putting another horse in this stall until the thing had a major overhaul. Not only that............there was no way Rhet could go back into this stall after he'd gotten his bath and such..........so now we had another dilemma......... Then there was what in the heck was this colt going to do next?

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

A Little Grooming



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Region 5 Championships.......Getting Ready......

Part 1

Shortly after I watched the Enzo colt being schooled, Jesse Saldana called to say he would be down to school Rhet in a few minutes. So I got the colt ready with about the same kind of reactions as the days before. As much as Rhet was ready to take on that chestnut colt, he hadn't quite figured out what wearing that schooling halter had to do with it.

Standing up to show was a whole different matter. While Rhet still wanted to duck out to his right when he felt pressured, the colt wasn't feeling that kind of pressure nearly as often. I guess he was beginning to feel comfortable with what Jesse was asking. The colt was definitely standing up solid and using great expression.

The session was short. Then we discussed plans for that evening session. Jesse didn't want Rhet bathed until about 6 pm so his dark coat would stay nice and clean.

Jesse also wanted more of a traditional halter clip on the colt but I I had to tell him that wasn't going to happen. The clip he would get would be the same he'd been clipped for Region 4. There was no way this colt was going to tolerate anything more. The blending of a traditional halter clip required a horse that would stand still. I was afraid with Rhet's problems with the clippers it would look like a major wreck.

As Jesse walked away, I wondered how I was going to get this all done. The time my help was to arrive had been pushed and pushed. I wanted to get his feet done before he was bathed because I was afraid his hooves wouldn't be dry enough to polish otherwise. That meant getting them sanded much earlier in the day and for that I needed help..........help that wasn't coming.

I tried taking Rhet over to the permanent barns and tying him to a stall to sand his feet. But the colt danced around too much. It was just plain dangerous trying to work on his feet. It seemed like every time he'd start to settle someone would come walking by and the dancing would start again. I had to settle for a half *ssed job of sanding.........and there was no way I would apply hoof polish to horse moving around that much. It would have to wait until I had help.

Obviously there were lots of people at the horse show. You might think there should have been somewhere there who could help me with Rhet. Only I worried that Rhet was just too much horse for most people. I didn't want someone hurt trying to help me and because Rhet didn't trust new people often, the odds were he wouldn't be good if a stranger helped. I was better off waiting for help from home to arrive.

In the meantime I went to the arena and watched classes. Once of my friends was riding in the purebred Arabian open show hack championship. I'd seen her flashy "new" chestnut horse going to and from the arena in Salem but had never had a chance to see them show. This was a good time to get that chance although my friend felt like she didn't have much chance because it was the open division.

If you've been reading my blog for long, you know I don't necessarily agree with this. I believe that amateurs can beat the trainers in the open division if their horses are doing the job better than the trainers. I think there's always a chance an amateur can get that prize and I certainly support their right to try. ( I might add here that some trainers feel that amateurs don't belong in the open division. But by definition, that's what the division is......open to ALL, not just trainers.)

Now this friend had already won the amateur owner show hack championship earlier in the week. So it seemed to me she should have a chance riding in the open. It was my intention to be there to support my friend for her class.

I was sitting in the stands when the pair of them came blazing through the in gate. My jaw nearly hit the ground. The normal trot on this horse was absolutely magnificent. I didn't think there was another horse in the class that could hold a candle to Market Jitters. If he did the rest of his gaits like this one, it was my guess she'd win the darn thing.

One of the things that impressed me the most about this horse was he made it all look absolutely effortless. He had this great spring in his step at the trot that looked like he was floating on air. Each gait seemed just as smooth......just as effortless. I think it was the best ride in show hack I have ever seen.

As the horses were dismissed from the arena, my friend's husband raced by with his groom bucket in tow. I caught his attention and told him to tell Claudia she'd had a great ride. He smiled and nodded his head saying he'd tell her.

Next time I saw her she was riding Market Jitters back through the gate for the top five presentations. Her husband was also coming back down in front of me. He looked up at me grinning, "Well, I guess you were right." but I don't think he realized how great her ride really was.

After the top fives were awarded, the reserve championship was announced. When they didn't call out Market Jitters, I was sure that Claudia had won the class. The flashy chestnut gelding ridden by Claudia Mitchell was indeed champion of the class........but not only champion.........unanimous champion. Yet another testament to the fact that amateurs can take on the trainers and be successful.

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

A Little Architecture



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Region 5 Championships.......the Competition......

Part 1

All through the Region 5 All Arabian Horse Championships I was keeping my eyes peeled for any colts that might be in Rhet's class. There were enough big name halter handlers floating around the grounds, I knew that horses would be getting schooled just like Rhet.

Getting a chance to see the colts ahead of time would give me a better chance of really "seeing" the competition. Since I am blind as a bat, the more opportunity I get to see a horse the better I really see what is there. Then I also knew I wouldn't have anyone video taping the class like they had at Region 4 so I wouldn't be able to look these colts over afterwards. This extra glimpse was important to me.

I knew from the show program there were already nine colts entered. With Rhet that made ten and then any other colts that might post enter. If I remember correctly the Region 4 Championships had only one colt post entered. I guessed that Region 5 would do about the same.

Earlier in the show I did see schooling on a couple of colts. One was a colt I had seen before. I had an idea of how I thought Rhet would stand up against either two colts.

Then Saturday morning as I was coming out to check on Rhet, I saw a young horse being schooled right out front of Rhet's stall. I looked at the face on this horse and thought, "Please, God, let that be a filly!" but as the horse was turned in the schooling process, I clearly got a look at his bum........

There was no way Rhet was going to beat this colt on this day. The colt had a face like a stylized bronze sculpture. I haven't seen a face on a yearling like this in a really long time. Then added to that, this colt had lots of chrome and a long beautiful neck set on like a swan. The overall picture was sweet........sweet......sweet!

I heard them talking as the colt was schooled. A comment was madethat "You can't ride the Enzo's." Looking at this colt he did indeed look like an Enzo colt. His gleaming chestnut coat and the high chrome signature the Enzo's are known for were obvious. Also he had the tell tail hocks out behind that prevent those horses from getting underneath themselves which is why you don't see many of them as performance horses.

Rhet might be more correct than this colt. But the odds of finding three judges who were totally about correct over this kind of type were slim to none. Heck! Here I was placing this colt over my own even before the class. I wasn't holding out much hope for a panel of judges that would do otherwise.

As I continued to watch this colt schooled, I spied Rhet standing at this doorway watching as well. His ears were perked up tight and he was tossing his head. I think he, too, realized this colt was competition. However, Rhet wasn't impressed by the colt's fancy markings or his pretty face..........Rhet was ready to take this colt on..........

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

Getting Ready



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Region 5 Championships.......a Lot More Discomfort.....

Part 1
The conversation with my friend strayed from the horse rescue situation to showing horses. She was there with a trainer showing her stallion in show hack. I was there, of course, to show my yearling colt in the sweepstakes class. At the mention of the colt, she asked to see him.

On the way back to Rhet's stall I spoke about his awesome pedigree. My friend admitted she knows nothing about pedigrees which seems odd to me. I find pedigree to be an essential part of the breeding equation. I hadn't really thought about people breeding horses without using this resource.

As my friend peered into the stall at my colt our conversation took a strange turn. She jabbed at me what did I need another horse for.......and then proceeded to grill me about selling horses and numbers on my farm.

I guess I should have stopped the conversation right there. However, since this woman has been a friend for a while, I guess I was caught off guard. I didn't expect to be attacked and I functioned like things were "normal." So when she asked me what I planned to do with this colt, I responded "Breed him to my Legs' daughters."

That's when things really got ugly. The next thing you know this friend said, "People like you are why there are so many rescue horses in the world." Dumb me, I went about defending myself against someone who really didn't want to listen.

I told her it was none of anyone's business what horses I bred. As long as I was taking proper care of those horses......which I am........and I pointed out Rhet's condition as proof of that. Her comeback to me was she couldn't tell anything about his condition because he was blanketed. I reminded her that we both know that the condition of a horse needing rescue cannot be hidden by a blanket. The neck and face, as well as the drape of the blanket, and coat condition will show poor condition on a horse.

The conversation briefly continued on from there. I was shocked by her behavior and didn't really know what to say. Although I have to be honest in my mind I was thinking, "Here's a woman who finds an unknown stallion to breed to on the internet. Sends her horse off to a place she's never seen. Admits to knowing nothing about pedigrees. Has had to give horses away that she's bred and she thinks I'm the problem......." There is definitely something totally wrong with this picture.

I'd felt like I was in enemy territory from the time I'd arrived at this show. Now I was feeling even more so like that was the case. I was ready to pack up my horse and go home.

Looking back at this and other events during the past year, I can help but wonder if the bad economy is affecting people's behavior. I've seen more goofy stuff like this in the last twelve months or so than the rest of my 20 plus years with Arabian horses. I sure hope things go back the way they were soon. As for this "friend" she did not stop here. I will post more about her activities later.......

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

The Competition



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