Mini 4-H Horse & Pony

Gah, it was one thing to think about how crazy it was to have Eliz in her first Horse Show two days after we got back from Gigi's, but it was something totally different to actually do it. Oh. My. Heavens.  The people we ride with are experienced with horse shows, and came prepared to entertain little boys.

 Eliz going over what to do in the arena.  Even though we had been planning on this for awhile, Eliz's instructor hadn't really explained what she would be doing.  Which was fine, I really just wanted her to try something new.

 In Mini 4-H, kids have to have a parent or guardian with them in the arena, so we had to match.  Something about me; I used to be a competitive figure skater.  I figured costumes for showing horses would be similar to figure skating - larger than life is just big enough.  I was right.

Lex admiring a horse just his size.  At one time there was a miniature pony at the stable we ride at, his name was Mo.  Xander loved to sit on him.

Another thing that's similar to skating competitions - lots of waiting.  On the upside, you get to play with your friends for hours!

  Eliz with the horse she rode, Paco.  He's a good horse, but she's only ridden him a 2 or 3 times.

 Showmanship!  Smile and step when you're supposed to step, that's what we were told to do.

 And, VERY surprisingly, Eliz got second!  Holy cow!  We were in the trailer cooling off and didn't even hear it announced!

She also did cookie decorating.  There was a complication with her cookie entry.  We were going to be in Georgia the week entries were to be turned in.  So we had to make the cookies the day we left for Georgia, and Bry-D turned them in while we were gone. 

Her poster for Horse & Pony.  As long as you follow the rules, you get a blue ribbon.

   Horsemanship; guide the horse & be in charge while you're on him.  She doesn't know Paco very well, but I thought she did a great job.

 Dee placed!  Yeay!  We still have a hard time getting her to smile.

 

 

Introduce a friend to a horse

For Mini 4-H Eliz had to choose two projects and the one she was most excited about was introducing a friend to a horse.  Her friend Mandolin is a big animal lover, but has never actually been close to horses, so this was fun for both girls.

 Eliz showing her all the horses.  We ride at the L. B. Ranch, and at times they will have 7 - 8 horses.  That's Diesel, he's a beautiful Palomino, and if he could speak, he would greet people with a very surfer-ish, "Duuuddde, whas Uuup?"  There's just something about him that makes him seem...ditsy.

 This is probably Sniper, I would have to see his front feet to know for sure.  I think Mandolin was surprised to find that horses have a bit of personality.  And glad that he didn't try to give her a few kisses.

 Watching Eliz get on the horse, and then have most of her riding lesson.

 The official Helmet hand off!

 Getting on a horse is more difficult than it looks!

 She rode tandem first, and apparently said something to the effect of, "I get it, it's FAST!"  So, no barrel racing for her.

 Then we had Eliz lead her around.

 I do believe she's saying "WHOA".   Pretty sure it wasn't "GO"

 Getting off the horse isn't much easier than getting on.  She said it was fun, I know it was a totally new experience.

At home later, Bry-D and the kids played.  Most Dad's like, wrestle, or watch tv.  Not my guy.  No, he has the kids chase his RC Helicopter.

 I guess if it really bothered me, I would have been all, "No, don't do that!"  But instead I saw it as an opportunity to play with my camera.

Riding Lessons

Eliz has been taking riding lessons for almost 3 years.  As I've mentioned, this year she's old enough to participate in Mini 4-H.  She chose Horse and Pony & Cookie decorating; for her poster exhibit, we needed pictures of her riding and caring for her horse.  I usually take a few pictures of her riding, but these were more specific, since we didn't know what she was going to use for her poster.

Walking her horse.  She doesn't always do this.  To save time, the girls sometimes get Bear or Sniper ready beforehand.

 I don't think about how BIG the horses are until I see Eliz on a stool brushing them.  Then I think, Wow, they ARE big animals.

 You could call what Eliz is doing in this picture, "Illegal Passing"

 Go, baby, go!

 Oh, and I ride sometimes too.  I don't get on as often as I'd like, but I love being out there.

Mini 4 H Day Camp

So.

She's big enough for Day Camp. I wasn't worried at all about how she would do, I was more concerned about how Lex & I would do without her. She's a big part of our lives, and it was an adjustment, though we made it through. Lex asked every hour when we were going to get her, but since I was thinking the same thing, it didn't bother me.