This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hi Fjord Friends-
Well, this weekend Knute & I did our first Trail Trial together, and it was a great experience ... but not without a few mishaps and funny moments! The trial took place in San Jose at the Santa Clara County Horseman's Association grounds. I trailered in with my friend and fellow boarder Jeanette and her Friesian "Pier." The atmosphere was fun and casual, and I think ours were the best groomed horses, in fact someone joked at me for applying Show Sheen :-). I replied that if nothing else, we'd win "shiniest horse." There were eleven obstacles of varying difficulty. Number One was simply tying your horse to a hitching post. As soon as the judge said, "You are now being judged," Knute head butted me then dived for the grass. I'm sure the judge was impressed! I was so nervous I couldn't do a simple knot, but I ended up getting the best score anyway because the only criteria were that the knot be a safety-release of the correct length, and that the horse stand quietly. Jeanette & I rode on to the next obstacle, the water crossing. The three horses in front of us refused and went careening in all directions. Knute didn't exactly jump into the murky pond, but with a little coaxing went in and out correctly. Same deal with obstacle three -- the three horses in front of us were freaking out and I don't think any of them completed the obstacle. I had no trouble with Knute, but the judge marked us down for "sort of hopping over the log," grrr. Next challenge was the mail box, something I was happy to see because I've been practicing this at home, riding up the driveway and getting the actual mail. Unfortunately the mail box was situated near a beehive, and Knute suddenly spun around and bolted a few strides for no apparent reason. When I later saw the bees flying around his head and agitating another horse, I realized he'd been stung. Despite the bee attack, we completed the obstacle. It was quite a long ride to the next challenge, and my happy spirits sank when I saw what it was. You had to close a door on a stock trailer by sidepassing towards it. The trailer had been used to transport llamas, and the horses wanted nothing to do with it. Three out of forty people completed the obstacle; I was happy to just get near it and put my hand on the door! Number six was the real bugaboo, the llamas. The angry-looking creatures decided to get into a fight just as we were approaching, and I though Knute and Pier would jump out of their skins. The area around the pen was very confining, with low branches and big boulders. I decided it wasn't worth the risk, and dismounted. I told the judge to bypass me for this obstacle, then after resting a minute I lead Knute past the llamas so he could get a look. At this point Jeanette decides she's had enough, and says she is quitting! I was not to happy about this, but there was nothing I could do but walk away and leave her there. Now Knute & I have a looooong walk to the next obstacle, and soon he is screaming his head off because his friend is missing. I very briefly thought of quitting, then became determined to finish no matter what. I remounted and lined up at number seven, the mount-dismount. There was a big backup at this point with at least eight horses waiting ahead of me, and I was not very popular as the rider of the screaming spinning lunatic. I remained calm and determined, and attempted to complete the obstacle but failed. I took a deep breath and rode on to number eight, the pony and cart. This was no big deal because my Fjords live with a small black pony and they've seen driving. The judge marked me down because "the horse was excited." If only she knew how happy I was that this horse was standing still, not even seeing the pony! At this point I started chatting with an experienced couple, and asked if they would help by waiting for me after the obstacles. They did, and I greatly appreciated it. These strange horses did not replace Pier, but they did help Knute to be more calm than when we were completely alone. On the way to number nine, a bicyclist flew past us and almost hit Knute, who skittered into the bushes to avoid him. We were scored very harshly on the next obstacle, although I thought we did well considering. You had to ride up to a picnic bench and take a water bottle out of a cooler. My lateral work needs help so it wasn't pretty, but we did it. The judge gave us almost the lowest score, 22, because "the horse would not approach the ice chest." Oh well, at least they thought it was the horse and not my steering abilities! It was a long ride back to number ten, and I was glad for my companions, because the "clearly marked trail" wasn't and I would have been dead lost. Knute liked this obstacle, a bucket full of horse treats. He liked it so much that he grabbed the bucket and flipped it up and down, trying to empty it. I cracked up even more when he let go of it and it swung, banging him in the head. I finally managed to get the treat out and give it to him. At this point he's thinking this trail trial business isn't so bad after all... The last obstacle was a simple gate, which we did well. I collapsed in a heap after four hours in the saddle. I was SUPER pleased with Knute. Despite several mishaps and spooks and the loss of our partners, he was very obedient and seemed genuinely happy to do this. We'll definitely be back, and next year we might even be competitive! / )_~ /L/L Brigid Wasson SF Bay Area, CA www.Brigid.Clickryder.com www.MillwoodRanch.com
