This message is from: "Ursula & Brian Jensen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
First off let me say that being away for a whole week and reading the List back to back gives one a real different perspective. Ruthie, you are RIGHT to promote 'inclusiveness' ...I'm with you on that ..BUT, please read and re-read some of the explanations that OTHERS have tried to give you. Carol's very long and very CLEAR post regarding 'APPROPRIATENESS" was excellent and well thought out...she has that knack of saying it well as you know..... Teressa's explanation was from a very 'new to driving' perspective/angle and she said it so well also. Try to be a bit open to what we are saying.......Noone wants to see Gene to wear a laprobe or apron when he is driving his stagecoach......nor a wagon or buckboard....GEEEESH! That would be silly.....it's all about appropriateness of the vehicle and the ADS rules state it very clear they are very inclusive...read about how they were established ( someone alluded to that as well) I'll tell you what I DO hate to see....someone coming to any regional show (FJord or otherwise) and not taking the time to show the Fjord at it's best....clean and not just pulled out of the pasture...I don't care if you trim his beard or shave his jaw-line or feathers...but I want to see the horse clean....as far as clothing for the handler..yes, I do object to a dirty T-shirts with rude logos and sandals...blah blah blah...it shows a lack of respect for the horse, the farm, the person, the audience, the show organizers who have put hundreds of hours into the preparations and most of all the judge who stands on his feet for 8 hrs in heat or rain or wind with a jacket and tie (without the pee breaks that are normally allowed most humans). There is just no way you could possibly object to that nor agree with that and that's ALL we are saying. I know this much about you Ruthie...you are a neat and tidy looking woman and probably keep a pretty nice home/farm. Would you have some objection to someone coming into your house with muddy boots and smelling really bad and sitting on your white sofa smoking a smelly cigar....? ( I choose this parallel because of it's inappropriateness, disrespect and I won't even start on safety ) Enough said. On to the Eval in Oregon....Catherine did a phenomenal job of organizing this event...as ever she is a gracious hostess and a very hard worker...the evaluation was well worth the effort and cost to make the trip there from here..... After the 2001 fiasco in Libby where Penfrydd's Raynor became so very ill, it was a chance to redeem himself and his sire Konggard. I felt I owed it to him and to others to show him at his best. Many of the same people were there to see him healthy and quite taken with himself. The support was phenomenal then and this time around.... It was certainly his day to shine and my boy 'done did it'. There are always so many variables and no matter how much we prepare and primp and pray....it's a crap shoot at best on any given day...The stars aligned and all is well with the world. He received 4 (read four) blue ribbons (YEEHAW!!! I do love that color) He scored a respectable 82.5 in conformation ...very consistent with his strengths and weaknesses. He scored a 90.5 in Introductory Driving...(Ursula as whip...YEEHAW!!! the highest score of the driving portion) He scored an 80 in Intro riding with our riding trainer Julie Pilon...YEEEHAW!!...we don't ride so this was costly but worth it He scored an 83.5 in the Intro Draft test with Brian as teamster...YEEEHAW!!! Now that's a versatile fjord... not just the fact that he held it together for three disciplines in one day and get good scores but also that he had three different handlers....that's BIG....at any time he could have asserted himself and display unfavourable behaviours as we all know our horses are capable of. or driver error as we all have brain farts. I was extremely proud of him and proud of the many friends who genuinely were pleased to see him do well...I appreciated that so much. I will let Brian tell you about his days....showing 3 different horses in 7 test....now THAT"S BIG and he should get a versatility award as well. Vivian, thanks for the time spent to share your Laurels account...good job (in spite of...don't be so hard on yourself) and goodluck at Gladstone....my gig has the honour of having competed at both Gladstone (previous owner) and Spruce Meadows but I venture to guess I will never be as lucky. Back to cleaning up after one week of absence AND dirty equipment....yuck!!! ursula Ursula & Brian Jensen Trinity Fjords Box 1032 Lumby BC, V0E 2G0 Canada 250-547-6303 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://okjunc.junction.net/~ujensen/
