Because the past week or so has been absolutely crazy, I have been having trouble figuring out how to start a new post on a new mustang update. So I'm just going to tell you what has been going on in a nutshell. Hopefully after this, I'll have a better time of getting the words from my head to the computer. So anyway, where to start?
Well, on Saturday, August 27, Marsha was holding a Dressage Under the Stars nighttime show. It was really cool. The show started at 7pm and it ran until almost 1am (I didn't stay that long; my parents and I went home long before then). Watching the dressage riders and horses do their tests as the sun went down and then being bathed in the glow of the arena lights was really cool; just as cool as being at a nighttime rodeo or barrel race. But what does the dressage show have to do with an update on Raider? Cause I actually showed him in it!
I had actually decided to do this about two weeks before the show and Marsha and I decided that Introduction Test B would be good to show him in. Intro Test B is just a simple walk/trot test and I have actually done it before during a dressage clinic on MJ. So it was only a matter of brushing off the cobwebs of what I remembered (which was pretty darn near all of it-I actually only forgot one sequence of the test) and working Raider on it in a dressage saddle...for the first time. In fact, some of the pictures I've posted on here with him in the dressage saddle is his first time in it, so he adapted very well to the weight and feel of it.
After working a little over a week in the dressage saddle and working on certain aspects of the test, we rode through our test on Saturday evening. He did extremely well and took fourth place with a 58% on his test! I was very happy with what he did. The only thing he spooked at was the judges' table, which it seemed that several of the horses were doing the same thing too. But I was very happy that instead of bolting (which is what he did that morning while practicing), he only bulged the inside shoulder in a bit and went into a bit of a counter-bend. Which wasn't too bad and he came back to me anyhow and went back to work just fine. Needless to say, he got Sunday off from work. ^_^
Then last Saturday was the Leon County Horseman's Association (or LCHA) monthly show. Marsha and I took her Supreme mustang, Splash, and Raider and while Marsha showed Splash in several different classes, I decided to take things a little slower and just showed Raider in three classes: English Equitation, Western Horsemanship, and Trail (all walk/trot of course; we're still working on getting the right-lead canter on him). I was a little nervous as I went into each class, but he took it all in stride and won blue ribbons in all of his classes! He did an excellent job and was a complete gentleman the entire time we were there. The only problems we had in the trail class was the sidepassing over the log to the left. We've been having some issues in him not moving his hips along with his shoulders going to left, so I wasn't too surprised when he tried to pivot on his hind instead of sidepass. But eventually, we somewhat got it and he still managed to take first. He did have his cute moments though; we've got pictures of him sticking his entire head in the hay bag and all you can see are his ears. I'll have to grab those photos off my parents' computer so I can upload some of them here.
But he did so well, Marsha and I are going to take him to the Big Bend Horseman's Association (BBHA) show this Saturday. I plan on doing more classes with him, including a game class and pole bending as I ride MJ too. So I have a pretty full day on Saturday, not to mention the barrel race on Sunday that I'm taking MJ to in Pavo, GA. Hopefully, he does just as well, if not better, especially on his sidepassing.
Let's see, what else? Oh yeah! I've also started a sort of side-job alongside training Raider. It's called the American Mustang Apprentice program and what it's about is while training Raider, I have to create and implement a business plan for a horse training business and promote what I'm doing with training a wild mustang. Some of the things I have to do with training is to create a business plan for my horse training business, keep a time log of what I'm doing, create a business expense record system, and create and implement a campaign promoting the awareness, training, and adoption of the mustangs through different media outlets such as Facebook, blogging, magazines, newspapers, etc. I have 12 weeks to get everything done, but luckily, instead of the 12 weeks being up when the Tennessee competition ends (like I originally thought), it ends in November. So far, I'm into week 2, so I'm a little behind in the blogging aspect, but I did get everything else on the list done.
Just another little thing I've added to my plate, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it. I just have to get my time management a little more organized so I can get everything I want to get done, done before I go to bed at night. Which, speaking of bedtime, it's about that time now. So I'll leave off with what I got and post more updates and perhaps a couple seperate thought-processes soon.
Goodnight and God Bless,
Jess
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