Birthday post! Wooo!

As I was going out to the barn along 224, I saw the signs for the Civil War Reenactment at McIver Park. I hope you had lots of fun, Ken! Who did you bring?

I got to the barn just in time to see Robert and Buzz going out with the Shires. Robert informed me that there was one of Cari's shows next weekend, and we should have a horse ready for that. He suggested Keno. (internal dialogue: Yes! I can jump him out in the open now!) He asked me to drive Reno, ride Keno, and work Dylan somewhere in the period of time I had today.

So I drove Reno. We got almost all the way down the blacktop before I realized we didn't have a whip, and so we turned around and got it. We executed a pretty nice back up and fan turn to get back on track to the back forty, if I do say so myself. He got pretty hyped up over the curves and I ended up not being able to control him for long at the trot. I tried trotting him up and down the stretch with the driveway on the other side of the fence, but he kept finding things to spook and canter at. My hands couldn't take it, they kept cramping up, so I settled for backing him up whenever he pranced. He may or may not have gotten the message. I need to get him out more, I guess. He's much lighter when I've been driving him, I think because I'm weaker than Robert. If I'd been brave, and hadn't been planning on doing anything other than massaging my palms the rest of the day, I would've taken him back, put his reins on the lowest shank, and gone back out. Oh well. He wasn't too bad, and he was mostly listening. So I put him back just in time for the Shires to pull up. Robert said he'd be out in a few minutes.

I grabbed Keno and lunged him just long enough to help him remember that it was a good idea to listen to me. We tacked up without much drama, other than flyspray, and headed out. Robert wasn't extremely useful besides telling me I was off the center line and didn't have a great free walk. Keno was resistant and angry that I was riding him, but at least he didn't drop his shoulder or try to buck me off. We did an okay test, but I'm planning on riding Tuesday and Thursday to remind him what he's supposed to do. We worked on how he was using himself for months, I don't want it all to go to waste just because I haven't ridden him for a couple weeks. Thankfully the only dressage test offered is Intro A, because his canter still isn't where it's supposed to be. He's not an obedient horse, it goes against the fiber of his being, but I was hoping to mold him into more of a dressage horse. We had a few nice moments, I'll give him that, where I squeezed with my inside leg and my outside rein and he gave to me. We did trot poles too, which went fine. I'd like to do cross-rails but I admit he's more likely to buck me off than anything else, especially as we haven't jumped in over a month.

I pulled out Dylan. His butt is itchy enough that he's rubbed off most of the skin on the dock of his tail, and I wish I knew what's going on. So when I put the crupper on, and asked him to walk, his reaction was to buck most of the way around the circle. We worked that out pretty easily. Robert had set up two parallel poles to help me get on the centerline, and I asked him to trot over that. I thought it was a good exercise because, well, entertaining for me, but for another, he had to think about what pace he wanted, how far out he wanted to be, and where he needed to put his feet. He clearly thought about it for a couple circles, and then he got it and kept it up pretty well. I didn't ask too much of him because it was pretty obvious that his dock was bothering him a lot. I started scratching and he nearly fell over from glee (no, really, I stepped back and he completely lost his balance).

We fed. Robert had mentioned a black bridle that had been bought for Lady and never used, and might look good on Keno for the dressage portion of the show. I draaaaagged Keno away from his hay and fitted it. Wow! If anyone ever has to sell him, they could totally slap that bridle on him and call him a sport horse, especially with the flash attached. It actually made his head look cute. It didn't hurt that he was looking exceptionally pathetic. That's basically his reaction to Robert, because Robert makes him do bad things, like work.

Robert also wants me to show Papillon. Is she sound, we wondered? So we saddled her up quick and took her out for about fifteen minutes before I had to go catch the bus. I didn't do the test, but she warmed up pretty well and trotted pretty well, though her trot's still strung out. You could tell she was a little disappointed that Robert wasn't riding her, and very disappointed that she didn't get to go jump things. Apparently John the farrier said that her shoulder was the most free he's ever seen it, so I guess something's being done right.

My reflection upon the bus is that I can't show both horses. Robert is going to be out of town that weekend, so I'll need to get there and clean stalls. I think Gillian won't be there either, so that's about doubling the time (and work) for me. I'd be showing them both in the intro A and trot-pole division. To do well, Keno needs a fair bit of warm-up, and so does Papillon, not to mention where I would put them while I was working the other-- everyone does their dressage tests first, then we put up the course and either do crossrails or trot poles. I could theoretically put Keno in the crossrail division, because he's a cute jumper, but he starts crowhopping after each fence.

I know I won't have time to bathe both horses-- as it is, I'll probably be getting up at 4:30 in the morning to catch a bus and be there at seven. I won't have the energy to clean stalls and properly work both of those horses. The probability that I will end up taking bridles and possibly a saddle home to clean them is astoundingly high for someone without a car.

I'll be out Tuesday for a while, and I can be out Thursday for about two hours before feeding, so I can still ride both and make a decision. If Robert was here it wouldn't be a problem, but he'll be at a show. As it is, I'll be helping make sure they have everything they need for the show that Stoneybrook needs to provide, doing stalls, and trying to do a horse or possibly two if I'm exceptionally dumb.

So what's the best plan of action (hint: comment!)? My guess is this:
7:20- Arrive
If horses are fed, then I bathe Keno and tie him in his stall.
8-ish- If the show doesn't start for an hour or more, clean as many stalls as possible
When it's about forty minutes before my time is called, I should saddle up Keno and start warming him up, do the test
If there's a fair bit of time before I have to trot him over a pole, untack him and clean more stalls, otherwise hang out until we've trotted a pole
Clean more stalls
Eat food
Clean more stalls
Clean more stalls
Take the tractor out (maybe successfully this time)
Feed
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I don't have any particular interest in doing the games, since competing against kids half my age isn't a lot of fun, so there's that saving grace at least. I just hope that I don't freak any horses out with the tractor.