A Student of the Horse: Gemma goes to a show!

My daughter first went to a hunter show about a year and a half ago. She showed twice and had a really great experience. Since then, a lot has happened. The pony she was showing and riding for lessons died unexpectedly (R.I.P. sweet Clever). She has gotten a new riding instructor twice. COVID-19 shut down all the shows last year, except a very few toward the end of the season, and they weren't ones that we could participate in.

After all those challenges, this year, Gemma was determined to go to a show one way or another. Luckily, the barn I board at offers a series of hunter shows that are very quiet and well-run, and they were back on the schedule this year (with a modified process for social distancing). But a week before the first show of the year, I still didn't know which horse/pony she would be riding. There were quite a few lesson kids who wanted to show who didn't have horses, and I wasn't sure what the logistics would be.

Thankfully, a couple of boarders stepped up and offered their horses to be used for the show. One of those horses is a little mustang named Olaf, and Gemma's instructor decided he would be a good fit for her. The only issue was that she had never ridden him. So the day before the show, Gemma got a quick lesson on Olaf and a review of show procedures and etiquette. And because Olaf is a gray, he needed some TLC to show his true shining self. But Gemma was beyond delighted to help with his bath and show prep and we spent many hours at the barn on Saturday getting ready.

The day of the show dawned a bit dreary and cool, but Gemma was undaunted. She insisted that she be awakened at 6 am to have enough time to get ready. We were out the door by 7, and at the barn by 7:30. Olaf had been covered head to toe with slinkies and a tail wrap to keep him clean overnight, so he was virtually spotless and didn't need much additional prep.

Gemma did a quick warm-up in the round pen, because the schooling in the arena looked like about a dozen kids careening around in a random and very fast fashion. I made an executive decision that being a part of that nuthouse was not necessary to ensure Olaf's successful warm-up. Gemma did an impressive job warming Olaf up and practicing an exercise she'd been given the day before by her instructor. It looked like she and Olaf were going to get along just fine.

Gemma never seemed nervous at all, although I admit to a few nerves, mostly because Olaf was new to Gemma. He was an experienced show horse for his teenaged rider, though, and he had already gone to a few competitions in the past couple of months. So he knew his job, and as long as his rider wasn't falling asleep at the wheel, so to speak, he was going to focus.

Gemma was competing in what is called the Pre-Short Stirrup Division, which is for young riders (I forget the age cut-off, maybe 10?). One class is walk only, one class is walk and posting trot, and the third class is walk and trot with riders sitting, posting, and going into jump position. They also need to be able to halt and change direction at the walk. Gemma did great. She missed her diagonal a couple of times, but realized it and corrected it. And she turned to the outside instead of the inside of the arena once, but otherwise, she and Olaf were a good pair. Olaf listened to her aids and responded quickly and kept her out of trouble as about six kids on ponies of varying abilities wandered around the arena.

It was a wonderful experience for Gemma, and she now considers Olaf to be on her list of Most Adored Equines. I'm not sure if she'll have the opportunity to show him again this year, because he is in high demand by other riders and of course, his owner. But it was a great way to start off the show season, and I was relieved that she had a safe horse to ride.

And I had fun too. There were some other show moms there and we were able to support each other (and our kids and horses) and spend some time chatting and watching everyone's kids compete. I'm still not a huge fan of the hunter style of riding, but at Gemma's age, I think it is more important for her to learn how to be in a competition and have fun and learn good sportsmanship. And she got to socialize a bit with other riders her age and older. She told me that it was her best experience ever and she is super excited for the next show.