Daffodil All Arabian Spring Horse Show....... a Surprise Visit........

Part 1

Legs was not the only one tired on that Sunday morning. After the adrenaline from getting caught short and preparation time for the class had finally waned, I was dragging big time. It's a good thing I had enough to get me through the class itself because I'm not sure how I'd have been in that wall came thundering down while riding.

It was on the walk back to the stalls that I felt the crash. It was seemed almost instantaneous in its dawning. I really don't know when it happened just that I remembered being by the big overhead ride and then "coming to" as I walked into the barn. I'd clearly spaced out over half my walk back to the barn. It's a good thing that my horse behaves.

With only 8 classes between the AAOTR class and the select rider championship, I decided the best thing to do was to just tie my horse in the stall and wait. I figured I had about enough time to take a power nap and maybe that would get me through this next ride. Heaven knows my eyelids were made of lead at this point and I wasn't sure that even an adrenaline rush could pick them up.

I did manage to remember to throw a cooler on my horse. I didn't want him standing tied in the cool air of the barn and getting stiff. I swear he actually groaned as I covered him with that thing instead of pulling the tack. The horse has been to enough shows to know that signaled another ride.

I wondered if I should set my alarm just in case my power nap got too serious. I didn't want to be sleeping through my class. Crystal would never let me live it down if I did. I knew it would be fodder for her jokes for the rest of my days........so I did, I set my alarm......... just in case....

I should have known better. To need an alarm one would have to sleep. I am not a person who naps easily and I sure don't nap in public. Sitting in the open in a barn wouldn't be the kind of place "safe" enough for me to sleep no matter how desperately I needed it.

Even without the nap, I felt better just sitting with my eyes closed and resting for the time. Well, if you can call it resting as I rerode my class in my mind while sitting there in that chair, but I did feel "better" even if "rested" didn't apply, that is until I decided to stand.

One thing about sitting there in that cold barn, I had been the one that had gotten stiff. I had problems getting myself up and outta that chair. My legs didn't want to change position and they sure didn't want to support my weight. Legs had gotten a cooler but I hadn't thought about something for me. Now I was thinking my legs were not going to bend. Nor were they going to forgive me for letting them prop me into that darn bag chair. I was definitely feeling old........

I try to not get caught up in feeling sorry for myself about that "old thing." I've gotten pretty good at refocusing on something positive to get myself through the little betrayals my body throws my way. At this particular time the obvious distraction was to listen for class calls to see when I needed to be ready. As if on cue, I heard the sound of the paddock announcer's voice coming over the loud speakers. I had four classes to go before Legs and I would next enter the show ring.

I decided to check my show program to get some idea of how big those classes might be. As I went to locate the thing, I saw two familiar faces coming down the aisle towards me. They were both smiling and definitely coming my way. I have to admit I wasn't quite sure what to think.

Remember that half-Arabian colt that I trained for halter during the course of my contract with Storm. These two people are the owners of that colt. Since the lawsuit, pretty much everyone from that barn keeps their distance from me, either out of discomfort or just plain anger. Whatever, it is, these are the first to look glad to see me.

As they got closer they called me by name and asked me about Rhet. He was a yearling at the same time and shown at the same show. I guess in some way that gives them a kind of kindred connection, at least it did with these folks. It was nice to see them.

I briefly mentioned the lawsuit only because I was unclear if they knew, or maybe if they cared. I guess I wanted to know them being glad to see me was no accident. Their response to me was they didn't care about that kind of "political stuff." They like who they like and that's that and it was definitely obvious they were glad to see me.

I must admit I was pleased to hear this and I thanked them for not discarding me because of what had transpired. It's hard to just walk away from two years worth of relationships because I stood up for myself. I knew they had been grateful for the work I had done with their colt but I didn't know if that was enough to carry through the last year's events. It was nice to see their feelings were not negated by the situation with LF and BG.

With that out of the way I asked them what they were doing at the show. They told me they had come to deliver their horse, TK, to their son's barn so he could begin training under saddle. This gelding had not had anything done with him since he'd been shown two years ago. They had taken him home right after regionals and turned him out in the field where he spent his time growing up.

When they went to retrieve him to make this trip, he'd walked onto that trailer like an old pro and he travelled that way as well. They were very pleased and, I think, a little bit surprised by his behavior. I think they thought because not much had been done with TK in the interim that he would have forgotten what he was supposed to do. I assured them his basics were pretty solid if nothing had been done to undermine them, he should have behaved exactly as he did.

I got the impression TK's good behavior loading had something to do with them looking me up at the show. Whatever the reason was, I was sure glad they did. Had I not had a class coming up soon I would have gone back to their barn to see TK. It sure would be fun to see how he has matured. He was a gangly yearling but I figured he was going to be a lovely western pleasure horse some day. Hopefully I'll get to see him in the ring sometime next year.

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

The Final Championship...

This picture is Scandalous Image.

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