The Reveal - Part Two

Here are pictures of us hooking the cart to the horse. In the first one, I am putting the overcheck from the bridle onto the harness. This helps keep the horse's head in the proper position. Check out Topper's hooves--I did the blacking and the touch-up on them! Oh, and I shaved his legs!


Dr. Holmes is seated in the cart, and we are ready to head to the ring. The gentleman on the left is Tim. He and his wife Katie own Kingfisher Creek Stables in Clifton Springs, New York.


And here we go--off to the ring where we will win our third ribbon of the show!

My job was what they call a "header"--when the class is almost over and the horses are lined up in the center, the header comes in and stands at the horse's head. We keep the horses quiet and "freshen" their manes and flick dust off them before the judge comes along, as well as encouraging them to "park out". You can see from this photo what I am talking about. This was not our class--I couldn't be in the stands and in the ring at the same time!

In all, we took four ribbons in four classes! Here's a shot of the display wall with our ribbons hanging.

And a close-up of the ribbons! Nice, big ribbons! Did I mention that I love ribbons?

We already have a training plan mapped out for next year. I can't tell you what a thrill it was to be a part of the training and showing of Topper. We all get our heads down and keep moving, but forget to look up and try something new. It's so invigorating! Like when I went back to knitting after a 20 year lapse. So don't be afraid to step out and try something different! Who knows what I will be into next!

I hope you've enjoyed your vicarious journey to a horse show with me. Now I am off to teach machine piecing for the evening--life returns to some semblance of order.

Til next time--keep smiling--just like you were in your right mind!

Hugs,

Sharon