Last Saturday we showed at Kelowna's OHara Stable. As we drove onto the Kelowna Riding Club, my nerves started to get to me.... on one side I had OHara, and on the other we had Western Heritage with a ton of QH's at the Kelowna Riding Club facility. For those that know me will know WHY my nerves started to get to me. My future meeting my past... after the image of hoof polish, manes banded, and more bling then Rodeo Drive, I remembered why I chose the draft horses.
We came into the OHara facility feeling confident and ready. It was our first time on a grass course, but the big Ogopogo jump wasn't in the course, so I felt no problem. That was our first problem - way over confident!
Our first class was cross rails, to which the first jump was with flowers and he refused it, after one more cross rail refusal I was not a happy camper. But I also thought, okay we got this out of our system - no problem - he shouldn't refuse the next class as we've now seen them all.
But that wasn't to be. We entered into 5 hunter classes in total and one jumper class. Our hunter classes we placed in only two of them. It wasn't the height that was getting to us, it was our flat part. We have developed a tranter - a bit of canter in the front and a trot in the back part of the horse. This is NOT a pretty pace by any means and is a most definate way to bring down jumps.
After a very quick rest (in 32+ degrees) we were back into our jumper class, we started at what was to be 2'3, but looked relatively small. Again I was playing big mind games with myself. The jumps in which I concentrated on just keeping my heels down and looking past the jump - well those jumps were nice and felt good. But for whatever reason I was very focused on staring down the jumps, thinking about all those watching more then getting him to the jump and moving onto the next one. Our last class was going well, short of a disasterous first oxer jump which we brought down, we then recovered, went over jumps I was pretty sure he was going to refuse - but then on the 8th jump I totally forgot it and went to the 9th instead. 100% my fault on this round.
By this point my head was ready to continue as was Ozzy in both head and heart, but physically we were both drained. As a team we were not meshing that day, I was getting pissed off at him, and as Brianne pointed out, and I know better, if I get mad at him he worries - and then we are both off track completely.
It was a humbling experience, not really one I want to do again. Tomorrow is a lesson day, and I'm looking forward to it. On Monday after work I went for a quick ride to work on our flat work.
On our last lesson we were working on jumping lines, which are FAR MORE DIFFICULT then hunter lines are. During our lesson we were clearing the jump, but while we were over our second jump we needed to already be looking at aligning up for the next jump, as it was a swift turn to the right. Oz wasn't feeling my leg at all during this lesson.... little bugger. Towards the end of the lesson, he was starting to get it, but for most of the lesson and at OHara, my leg was no more then a mosquito bite.
So tomorrow I'm looking very forward to. When I rode on Monday though at a walk and trot, he sooned remembered what my leg/spur/crop meant.
While we were at the show though I had two people come up to Oz and say hello - I have no idea who they were, but apparently my big boy is becoming quite an Okanagan name. My mother (another recent Oz fan) has friends that have chatted him up with others that know of him.... but when she mentions their names I have no idea who they are. I think I'm looking forward to winter, when things slow down at work and the shows slow down so as I can work on getting t-shirts, pins and such made up for his fans.
Not sure of when our next show is going to be, possibly this weekend, but also we may take a couple of weekends off from showing to work on schooling at Maple Ridge.
Ozzy's #1 fan, my aunt sherry and her camera are on vacation for a couple of weeks so the photos will have to wait.