Tents and Tannoys

Wow so much has happened since our last update. We've been in mad preparations for Stokesly show, the last big agricultural show of the season and a mini ambition for us. Adult pony camp was fab, aside from a few high spirited leaps and one canter that was distinctly out of control he was fabulous. He took to staying in a different stable (they had yummy haylage not skanky hay so it was nice) riding with 10 other horses and even jumping small fences, completely in his stride. He did however think that every horse wanted to be his friend and had to sniff everyone he happened to stand next to. The ever patient school ponies couldn’t not have cared less there was a new horse there!

We've been to multiple shows where Moon yet again covered himself in glory. A win in a six string hunter class to win his first sash and winning his first and then his second prelim test at riding club dressage! Such a good boy. I am going to have to stop riding round the ring expecting to come at the bottom of the line up!

So with multiple adult class lessons at Kirklevington riding centre, an extra lesson with chief instructor Jen Brooks whom he went very well for (v proud mother here!). The Saturday finally approached of Stokesly show. Having planned a birthday night out on the Friday night out was not the wisest but something different had to be done and trying to get six girls in one place at one time IS NOT easy!

So after 4 hours sleep I arose at 4am to drag a bewildered Button out of the field, he was actually lying down and  had to be pulled to his feet. At 5am we were lunging in the dark. He was a very very good boy about this. And at 6am I had finished his bath and was doping Him up with the essential Nupafeed syringe!

Stokesly show is not like all the other shows we’ve been to at riding centres. It’s a permanent showground with big main ring, hundreds of spectators (on a sunny day!) Vintage tractors, multiple massive marquees, cows, sheep, pigs and a tannoy system. Now Moon feigns fear of cows at home and has never seen anything like a marquee or heard the buzz from a tannoy. Stokesly attracts lots of entries so is as expecting a full ring of high quality entries and was not disappointed.
Setting off on time ish minus a camera, and probably my mind, we arrived to a quiet but full showground and unloaded him before the trailer was in bits around him. The lorry park is thankfully v close to the ring so everything looked normal to him and he just stood and attempted to eat the grass.

Impatience was high, so I mounted quickly and rode him round for a bit expecting a few good leaps and to have to wear him out a bit, we had plenty of time. In the tiny warm up he trotted around fine and actually felt a bit steady! Shock, just one spook at a man who was thoughtlessly trying to attach a bin bag to the outside of the fence of the collecting ring, he seemed very calm. So we went back to the trailer for a touch up. Twice. Now here I think I should state that I had not had time to trim him on Friday so had trimmed him up at 6am and missed a few whiskers so you can guess our turnout was not at the highest standard but he was impatient so we abandoned and went back to ‘warm up’. No one notices the turnout of the horses that are way down the line up anyway!
Just before the show started we were standing at the edge of the collecting ring watching a few others warm up and astounding at my scarily calm 4yr old (thanks Nupafeed!). The tannoy started up welcoming everyone and to my horror I realised we were stood just 3 meters away from a tall speaker stand AND one on the floor. I quickly gathered up my reins. Moon started. Then as the voice continued he simply turned his head to look at who had the ridiculous voice! Looking around and seeing No one confused him. He looked left and right. No one, ears flicking around totally bemused look on his face. Clearly thinking “who is that? I hear a voice. . .  Does anyone else hear a voice?? . . . Where is that person?”
Again this happened and we laughed and laughed at him. Poor confused baby. But soon the collecting ring got busy; 14 big hunters in a 20m x 15m area made it look like bees round a honey pot so we retired to standing outside the ring and watching.

Soon the imaginary voice said it was time to enter the ring and there was  a mass exodus as 14 big, mostly bay, horses negotiated their way into the ring, past the open water jump that had been left for the show jumpers and the marquees right on the side of  the MAIN RING FENCE. There was chaos. If being a main ring with all the fun of the fair around it wasn’t enough, they had piled up all the showjumping wings up all along each side of the arenas, then some bright spark had run red and white plastic tape along to cordon it off. 
Now we all know Moons feeling towards show jumps; always best off given a very wide berth. Not good. In addition to this as the class spread out the red tape began to flutter in the wind which caused half  the class to proceed completely sideways across the judges’ side of the arena. Great class! Luckily I had spotted a big grey horse that seemed to be blind (not batting an eye at ANYTHING) and made a bee line for him. Riding across the tape side the horse in front of Moon stopped and ran backwards towards him, so we simply changed our track and went round him settling in behind big grey blind horse. Moon is a good sheep, so just trotted round behind grey horse happily, if a little livelier than in the collecting ring. Thankfully after realising that there would be no class whatsoever if people kept going sideways and stopping all over the place some stewards took the tape down.
The only thing he didn’t get used to after a good five laps of the beautiful Main arena was  a last lonely piece of tape flapping around a tannoy pole. All was well. The very sensible judge required no galloping from the Novice Hunters so we just  trotted and cantered on both reins. Some people tried to overtake me and get between me and grey horse but a few overtaking in the corners manoeuvres sent us safely back behind our shepherd.


I trotted past the steward and he invited me into the ring and unsure of where to stand I sensibly stood slightly further away from the massive water tray and had to move closer when asked. Damn. A few more horses lined up by the steward and people started dismounting so I copied. The judge came over and I was asked to pull Moon forward to she could ride him. No problem I said and replied he was only 4. Then while I waited with trusty groom Caroline I asked her if the steward had asked certain horses to join the line up or just lined everyone up together. She said she saw the 6^th or 7^th horse being asked to come in. MY god. We were at the TOP of the line up!  I refrained (almost) from jumping up and down with excitement and watched Moon being ridden beautifully by the judge, he was a tiny bit gobby but apart from that looking fabulous. Then he went past aforementioned tannoy pole with tape and spooked sideways, throwing in a change of leg (only the front ones) to add to the effect. Judge did not move an inch and pushed him back over to which he simply changed his front legs back. Star. He lengthened nicely the steward noted to me and said that the judge was into her dressage. I replied that that was a good thing as my horse was into his dressage too! Finally his turn was over, it seemed like an ages and she got off and moved to the next horse without a word.

Roughly an hour later the judge was getting to the end of the line. Moon got bored after the 3^rd horse and reverted to his banging his front foot trick and almost taking Caroline out at the knees. So knowing his love of anything to chew we found my jumping whip in my grooms bag. (Things only go IN the bag and don’t get removed!) So he happily chewed on the end of the whip and waved it about for the next 45  minutes. Caroline noticed we were the only people talking to our horse, entertaining him and even kissing him while we waited. Everyone else was too busy covering them in baby oil. And they thought WE were mad!

Finally it was time for a quick trot up. Now here I was nervous. Moon only has awareness of his legs when they are moving and consequently looks like a total retard when he stands, standing with one back leg in front of the other or front feet on top of each other.  Making him look like his conformation is awful! So I was worried all our hard work in the riding would all go to waste. By some miracle he stood fairly wide in front and behind and square ish behind. A front leg was a little twisted out but on the scale of Moon retardedness it wasn’t half bad! We walked calmly away and turned to trot back. I set off and so did Moon. MUCH faster than I was going! He leapt past me and I had to turn around and regain control, after he realised I wasn’t going to sprint he trotted up past the judge in a fairly straight line.

As I got back on it started to rain. Joy. Luckily we were at the end and it was time for a final go round. After being in the ring for an hour and a half I was hoping we’d avoid this.  So off we went at the front, with no big grey horse to follow. No one in fact! In what seemed like an eternity they pulled us in first. Absolutely chuffed to pieces. We got out red rosette and judge said he didn’t move quite straight but he was only 4 and she was very impressed with how loose he was through his back and neck. She said he spooked but he sorted himself out and again he is only a baby. And had behaved perfectly apart from that.  Taking my lap of honour was amazing. I am so proud of my wobbly baby horse. To  lead the way round  the main ring on him was an honour I never expected.  I only wanted him to behave among all the monsters he’d never seen before  and I hoped a place would cap of his season perfectly, but to win was amazing. I am so lucky to have such a lovely horse.  

So the super star show horse has been on holiday for two weeks. Not having really grasped the idea of a holiday he’s been  galloping madly around the field with Zonda, breaking all the gates he can find and now keeps coming over to me when I’m in the field as if to say “isn’t it my  turn to go for a ride mum?” or maybe he just knows I’ve always got food! 

Peace, love and ribbons to you all. From all the mad ones and the superstar show horse.