Conference noted::equitation

    Many years ago back when many of us would go to a show with our
    "show string" consisting of our 1 Arab which we showed in EVERY
    class--
    
    I had taken a purebred and a half Arab.  All the classes were on
    the same day.  Both horses went in all classes for their respective
    division.  SO, I was changing clothes as fast as I could, changing
    tack, and running to the ring.  And it was pouring down rain, mud
    everywhere.
    
    Well, I had been in a costume class.  Because the pants that went
    with the costume were abrasive I wore mid-thigh shorts under them.
    My next class was a trail class.  I had to change to western attire.

    I figured since I already had these shorts on I could just put my
    chaps on over top and no one would ever know.  So I climbed on my
    horse and proceeded to negotiate the trail course.  One test was
    to dismount, ground tie the horse, walk around a temporary out house
    then back to the horse.
    
    Well I dismounted and evidently I hadn't buckled by chaps correctly.
    Because when I stepped to the ground, my chaps fell to my ankles.
    So here I was standing in mud up to my ankles, chaps around my ankles,
    two different colored knee socks and shorts being exposed to the
    world.  I tried to pull them back up, but couldn't get them all
    the way up.  So all I could do was waddle around the outhouse and
    back, climb back on my horse and complete the class.  Unfortunately
    the mud wasn't deep enough to hide in.  (We did win the class.)

    And yet another dumb thing I did:
    
    Back when I was new to the horse world, I went to a show with several
    equestrian friends. A rider was cantering her gelding in the ring
    and I heard a sound something like: whick-whack-whick-whack, coming
    from the horse.
    
    I asked my girlfriend, what's that sound he's making? She said "his
    sheath needs to be cleaned". I said "but he doesn't have a sheet
    on"!
    
    They all thought I was a comedienne but I was serious. I was later
    told how you clean it. Now when it's my gelding's turn, I say to
    him, "it's time to do the laundry"  !!
    
    Tina
    

    I have another one regarding a day at a show...  Again not quite
    as good as the two previous but I sure was embarrassed!
    
    Last year I showed a 17-hand palomino saddlebred, needless to say
    he is a big boy, well I only stand 5'2" and I'm not a heavyweight.
    
    Our first show was the Worcester Foundation show, we wanted to do
    this class (Model English Halter), to prepare for the following
    weekend, which was an all Palomino show.  As you probably have seen
    at most of the Open shows, the English Halter classes usually consist
    of nice quiet hunters, some really nice quiet grade horses etc.
    Please remember the key word is QUIET!
    
    It all started when we unloaded him, he was very excited, stomping
    his feet and screaming his lungs out, we got him settled down and
    started to lead him to the ring, this is where the fun started.
    He started jumping up and down, I don't mean rearing I mean jumping,
    all 4   off the ground.  By this time we had most of the people
    on the show grounds grabbing their little children out of the way
    it was quite the site.
    
    When we entered the ring he settled down a little, I should say
    a fraction.  I tried to keep him at the end of the line and talked
    to him to try and calm him.  He looked SO pretty with his 8 foot
    tail streaming behind him and his eyes bright and shiny.  It was
    finally our turn to set up and trot out, but he would not set up
    and let the judge walk around him, he just kept trying to swing
    me on the end of the reins and watch the judge.  There were about
    20 horses in the ring at the time, all had done a wonderful job,
    the park horses stretched out and stood quietly, the hunters, squared
    off and the grades, all went well with them.
    
    When the pinnings started the judge approached me and said in a
    very calm and friendly voice, (please note on the end of the reins,
    I still have a horse that is coming unglued!) says to me "As you
    know this class is judged on conformation and manners, your horse
    has lovely conformation and is very pretty but as far as manners
    he doesn't have any!".  If I could have crawled underground I would
    have.  As we were leaving the ring the folks that had been standing
    by the rail looking at the class cleared the rail, and parents scooped
    up their children.
    
    I'm sure glad that I lived thru that one and no one got hurt, my
    arms are alittle longer but chalk it up to experience!
                                         7

    When I read .0 last week I never thought I would be entering a reply,
    but after this weekend....
    
    My friends went on a Foliage ride this weekend in Vermont.  We
    rode for hours on all these logging trails through the moutains,
    it was so beautiful!  Towards the end of the ride on Sunday, my horse
    and one of my friends horses were very excited and we hoped to tire
    them out by cantering down this trail (fat chance!).  When we came 
    to a stop I noticed my lead rope which was tied onto the saddle
    had come undone and was trailing behind me.  Now these two horses
    knew they were within 1/2 mile of the camp and there was no way Coco
    was going to let me retie the rope to the saddle, he wanted to get
    home!  So I tied it around my waist (I now realize this could have
    had serious reprocussions).  Well we got back to the camp and I
    started to dismount, forgetting I had tied the rope around my waist.
    Well I only got half way, my left foot was dangling in the air and
    my right leg was stuck on the rope attached to the saddle.  I was
    laughing so hard I could not move until my boyfriend pushed me back
    into the saddle to untie the rope and proceed to get off.  There
    was about 120 people watching me as this happened, boy was I
    embarrassed!
    
                                                    
    Michele

    
    
    Over the years, I have had some embarrasing moments with
    my *dear* one. The first one came when I was new to the
    mounted drill team.
    
    It was fall and the parade was in Woburn, MA.  It actually
    was a large parade and was being televised on one of the
    local cable stations.  There were three units and you know
    which unit they put all animals in, that's right the last.
    The starting point was at the Showcase cinema parking lot.
    
    Now we had all been waiting to start for approx. 1 1/2 hrs.
    Cheyenne was behaving well for a change.  That is until we
    got onto the street.  There were 24 of us, in a column of 4
    abreast. People were commenting on how professional we looked
    and how well behaved the horses/ponies were. We had to stop
    and Cheyenne chose that moment to relieve his bladder. It wasn't
    just a little, it was a RIVER! Needless to say, people were
    scrambling to get out of the way of the rushing river. Now
    all I could hear was "Oh, gross!" "Grandma, move your chair,
    you're getting wet." and there were the laughs, snickers and
    giggles and the "Look at the size of that!" comments. I just
    wanted to ride off (into the sunset). Cheyenne did have a look
    of pure contentment on his face though. (Gee, I don't know why)
    
    The second story happened at the Westford open 4-H show.  Now
    being new to the show arena, I really had practiced to get my
    form down straight. (Being an adult who'd never been into 4-H
    until I chaparoned, I didn't want to *embarrase* myself or my 
    plug)
    
    It was our first class, Adult bareback equitation. We were
    doing well. Cheyenne wasn't being a speed demon and I wasn't
    flopping around. We were trotting down the fenceline and the
    judge had stepped to the fence to watch everyone come down the
    line. Just as we were about to pass him, Cheyenne spied a 
    clump of grass on the other side of the fence. He stopped,
    turned, stuck his head through the fencing and proceeded to
    stuff his face. EVERYONE was laughing. But the frosting on
    the cake was while I was desperately trying to get his head
    up, he swished the judge in the face with his tail (how to 
    win friends and influence people!).
    
    The judge took it all in good humor while I just wanted to
    disappear into the sand. (I did place 6th, but I think he
    judge was being kind)
    
    I've been told by others, that Chey has this knack for
    getting you in the palm of his hand (so to speak) and saying,
    *GOTCHA* (heh, heh, heh)
    
    Maybe sometime I'll enter what happened at the bank and Friendly's
    ice cream shop.  Till then ....
    
    Roslyn