24 July 2005
Today Ruby got it right.
With many tribulations we got her and the cart to the show. Borrowed a horsebox, and she hated the slippery wooden floor and slippery straw bedding and stomped all the way there and all the way back as she kept sliding about on corners (and I don't do fast cornering with a horse in the back. Or without.) She'll be happy when my own box is put onto its new chassis and she is back to a stoutly rubber matted floor and a few shavings.
We spent quite a while just letting her take in the sights and sounds of the big show field. We were parked in the edge of the car park field, away from the worst noise, but she jumped about a bit while tied to the box, mainly at loudspeaker sounds. My groom led her about and she trotted a fast circle and gave a huge buck and fly kick. However, with that out of the way, she settled down! We eventually harnessed up 15 mins before our class and did a small warm up in an area of the car parking field, sharing it with a very up-and-down actioned Friesian stallion (did I mention she was coming into season?) She took no notice of him though!
The show runs its 3 harness classes all together as it rarely has enough entries to make separate classes worth while. Today there were 10 in all (better than in other years). The pattern is, preliminary judging with individual show, then road drive, then come in to the main arena for final judging. It was all a bit cock- eyed today as we kept getting conflicting information about where the prelim ring was to be - empty area at side of car parking, or Ring 4 on main show field? I think we had at least 6 changes of plan through the morning. Eventually we filtered over to the main show field and were judged there. Ruby did not take any notice of the bouncy castles, rattling balloons, generators, smells of frying food, large animals (like Shires with a dray), people with baby buggies or dogs, wandering spectators failing to see or hear that they needed to get out of the way, other horses (show jumping warm up ring next door with practice jump alongside our ring ropes), flapping flags, show photographers running into the horses' path etc. And the loudspeakers that had been making her jump during the morning were totally ignored. What a girl!
We trotted round on the the left rein, then on the right. She still has the left-bend on the right rein when she gets showy, but it's not as pronounced as it was. No fireworks this time; no jumps into canter when we met a corner of the ring. It was all much more sober, though not less active than our last attmempt at showing! We lined up along one side of the ring. The judge gave us a specific show to do: one figure of eight, with a trot extension " on the long side" - now, as she's an old acquaintance, I knew that she meant "extend as you change the rein", but would anybody else know what the "long side" of a figure eight is? - walk to her, halt for ten seconds, rein back three strides. Ruby stood very peacefully while the rest of the line did their stuff. Some did it well, most lost rhythm, one pair (no - truthfully, it was two Dales ponies alternately pulling a cart side by side) were not working as a pair and the driver's reins were in deep sloppy loops that could even have caught on the pole head. Frighteningly inept... Ruby stepped out willingly when it was our turn, did her best to maintain her bend (not perfect but much better than on other occasions) and rhythm (ditto), and offered me, well, a little more speed on the change of rein. I can't say it was the sizzling extension we had at Tebay, but it was a try, and more importantly, the rest of the show was calm! She halted and stood and reined back, although too far - she's nothing if not generous :-). She stood in line quietly after that and still ignored the stallion screaming at the world, even though he was right next to us.
I had wondered if I should put Ruby at the back of the road drive so she could see any of the carriages that might rattle or make other odd noises. However, she was so calm and cool, that when the stewards were discussing who should lead, I just said we would. I know the route from other years, which only one or two others did. It proved a very good decision as she drove extremely well, calmly, actively, obediently and yet with real enthusiasm. She adores exploring and I think I must do more visiting once the horsebox is on its new chassis - just going out to new places, not only shows. Her clever mind deserves fun, not boredom.
When we came back to the showfield there was more disorganisation evident. Due to a judge starting very late in the Mountain and Moorland classes, the ring we were to have gone into originally was still full of champion ponies and horses, and a junior equitation class. We were told we could have the main ring when the dog agility display cleared it; in twenty minutes' time. So we had to stand in a horse alley with people walking past and among the horses, and with other ponies and horses walking by, for at least half an hour. It was not an ideal situation for inexperienced carraige horses, especially with the stallion in our midst, though I have to say he remained a gentleman. Ruby appeared to think that all the passers-by were coming to admire her, and stood very nicely, with my groom sometimes holding her and sometimes not. I was asked whether she was a Highland or a Fell... I replied, given our location, which did the lady consider more likely? She appeared dumbstruck by this response. But her husband knew enough to nod when I pointed out that although bay is a rare Fell colour, it's the "right colour" for a pony born in Shap; Sleddale ponies are known to be mainly brown or bay.
Eventually we were allowed into the ring, where the dog display team were clearing fire-frames, jumps, and other strange paraphernalia. Ruby just tucked in her nose and went into show off mode. And we were called in first!
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For the record, despite the photographer hopping about among the class in the prelim ring, while he managed to get five or six of every horse, there were none of Ruby at all.
You win some, you lose some.