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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