Aced an ILP test and almost finished a paper, so I rewarded myself by riding Buddy tonight. I'd been giving him lots and LOTS of time off compared to our normal routine this summer because of the heat makes us both useless and his dramatic weight loss from stress over mares and change in environment/hay, and what turned out to be slight anemia. Anywho, on the road back to awesomeness, he's getting bigger, sassier, and more energetic under saddle every day. Holy Mustang Batman, did we have POOST tonight! Set up just tiny baby jumps and cavalettis just to get him to pick up his feet again cause we've literally not jumped since June 19th, our last Hunter schooling show (first time ever jumping in a show and we got 2nd place.) I've trail rode him twice since, lunged a handful of times, but really just didn't want to burn the calories if we're not training for anything.
Not our prettiest, but we're working back into it slowly.
Well I've been toying back and forth with the idea of letting the SIUC Equestrian Team use him for their annual Intercollegiate Hunter Show the first weekend of October. I was officially asked if the can use him a week ago. It's at Le Chevel, which he's been to a half dozen times and thats where the show was that he won ribbons in JUMPING this summer. I told them that as long as his weight is up and he's healthy, he's theres. I keep getting more and more excited every day about it. How IHSA Horse Showing works is that the hosting team has to provide the horses for the show. The coach of the host team evaluates the horses that the team finds and puts them into which level of rider could handle that horse. It ranges from walk/trot, to open (meaning you show regularly or have ridden since you were a fetus practically). On show day, each riding level class stands at the draw table and draws the name of a horse designated to their skill level out of a hat. The rider does not get the opportunity to warm up the horse or ride it at all before being sent off into the ring to show it. The only information on this animal they get is to watch warm-up riders school all horses in the morning before the show and hope their team captain or coach takes notes. They also get the benefit of a sentence-long blurb about the horse on the official "horse list" that may read "Good draw. Sticky on left lead. Auto lead changes. Needs a lot of leg." That, and hopefully the advice of the warm up rider is ALL they get before trying to win a ribbon and not get killed by this stranger's horse. I'm of course going to be Buddy's handler and warm up rider, which is going to be exciting, yet nerve racking. I have severe proud mama syndrome so I'll probably end up explaining to every single rider Buddy's life story, eating habits, how he HAS to drink, then pee, THEN get treats and do stretches every single time after I ride him, how he likes goats, how he can bow, etc etc etc. But its an amazing opportunity for him to learn and be pushed further by more capable, trained riders because he is so good about people of all skill levels getting on him. These riders are wanting to ride their absolutely best and win their class, so I know he'll be in good hands while he's out there in the ring. I have a feeling he's going to be a total rock star because he's so freakin easy to ride. He's as complicated as "trot"... and he trots... "canter ::kiss::" and he canters. Never blows leads, common sense feel of the bit, kneed the reins with a little leg and he works into frame. Don't mean to be bragadocious, but whoever draws his bame out of that hat has no idea how lucky they are.
The half mile walk back to the barn from the new arena. Buddy and I ponied Rumor (on the right) down to the arena and Molly brought her back. Tonite was Buddy's first time ponying a horse behind him for more than a few feet. He's such a macho man, he likes being the big strong protector. Always the calm one in sticky situations these days.
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