Post by tara on Jul 19, 2008 8:25:52 GMT
On Friday, 4th July, Bert and I sailed to Guernsey to take part in the Guernsey Riding & Hunt Club's Annual Showing Show.
We nearly didn't make it as the we were due to sail on the Saturday morning and with the weather turning wet & windy, we had to leave on Friday afternoon (which only gave us two hours to pack! ).
Anyways... we made it onto the boat and over to Guernsey. This was Bert's first time travelling that sort of distance/time alone and he didn't travel too well (as the front of my trailer proves), but it was just an hour on the Fastcat and we all made it there in once piece.
Saturday was a bit mad... with having to wash Bert by myself (I've always had my Mum to help) and get all my tack etc cleaned up and loaded in my Landie. However, it was all done and I went off to a 21st birthday party at 7.30pm.
The BBQ and Pimms was in full flow by 8.30pm and by 1.30am, I decided that I really should go to bed (so I could be up for 5.30am that morning). I got up from my seat and the world went a bit wobbly!! Not a great start to the showing day!
Anyhows, the alarm went off at 5.30am and I managed to crawl out from my bed at 6.45am. The world was still a bit fuzzy, but I managed to feed and groom/plait Bert and get him into the box by 8am to leave for the show.
Got the show and it was the most miserable day, with rain and winds galore. If this had been Jersey, I would have probably looked out that morning and decided that I was going to stay home and clean harness, but as we had travelled all the way to Guernsey and as this show had qualifiers for the Royal London, I pulled myself together and got on with it.
Now... bearing in mind that the classes were cob classes and Bert is certainly not a cob, I expected to be at the end of the line up and the first class, In-Hand Cob confirmed this. Bert came 3rd out of three to two hogged and trimmed cobs, but he behaved beautifully (in such awful weather) and trotted out for me just as I asked him too. We gained our qualifier in this class.
Our next class was the Best Cob under saddle. There were 4 of us in the class, Bert and three hogged cobs.
Things were going a bit downhill with the hangover stakes and I really couldn't face changing my tie, so the red one (which would stand out better whilst riding) stayed in the bag. I also only just about managed a bit of waterproof mascara... but in that weather, probably not a bad thing!
I was expecting to do a ridden show, but there was a ride Judge (which came as a bit of shock) so we didn't have to! Although... I think that seeing the width of Bert must have been more of a shock to her!
We did our walk and trot and then canter round and on the change of rein, I had a bit of trouble getting Bert to canter off on the correct leg, however with a bit of help using the corners (as told to do at a Showing Camp in 2006), we got there!
The Judge got us to all line up and then started on her rides. Me and Bert had a bit of a chat at that moment and I promised him that as long as he was a good boy for her, then he could have an extra scoop of dinner for tea that night! Had to do this as when we were warming up, he decided that it would be good fun to do his front leg stamping (like he did at Showing Camp that earned him his 'War Horse' title) and also to try to buck during canter!
Anyway, bless her, she was so petite that her legs only just got to below the saddle flap, but she galently took him for a ride. She was having trouble getting him to canter on his right lead (which is his more difficult side) and he went faster and faster at a trot (which did look a cracking trot I will admit) and the next thing he just popped into canter with her!
Well... she got us all to run up in-hand and then saddle back up and ride off in a circle around her. To my utter delight, she pulled us in 3rd out of 4!!
The Scribe came up to me after and told me that the Judge had orginally put us in fourth, but had moved us up a place because of the ride that Bert had given her! She added that the Judge said that she was asked Bert for canter and it dawned on her that she didn't have the length of leg for him to realise what she wanted, so she talked to him and said "Come on Lad, lets have a canter" and he just went into canter, which she was delighted that he was so willing for her!
So... now for the photos!!
In our normal showing outfit
In in our 'Costume Concours' outfit!