#winning

Yeah don't shoot me, I used a hashtag for a title. #hashtag.  We did the show, I love my horse.

Smiles for everyone

This was a laid back schooling show, the day started with 2'9" and went up to 3'9" and then started back over at ground poles and went back up to 2'9" the last class of the day was a 2'9"+ gamblers choice.  I signed up for 2'6" 2'9" and the gamblers choice.

Relaxed pony

Glowing green poles

I got on way too early, forgot to account for the amount of time that ground poles and cross rails seem to consume.  Either way he warmed up great (total of two warm up fences as the footing was way chewed up) and then we headed over to the show ring to wait some more.  While the jumps went up to 2'6" all of us standing around went for a trot and canter around the arena.  Alyssa had jumped with the big kids earlier in the day so she was on phone memory juggling duty for video and Aimee played photographer for the day.

Cruising

Pumpkins!

Let me just say, my horse cruised around that like a complete freaking bad ass.  Here is a video of the second half of the course.



Then things went up to 2'9" and apparently very scary fill was added.  Watch out for wine barrels and black boxes (most likely filled with bones).

OH Em GEE black box of death

I guess he is trying to look at them while jumping

Not one stop at the brick wall though!

Still in love with him

There were still lots of kick ass jumps, and we still made it over the bogey fences, booyah!



Not sure why he thought he would throw in a stop at the last since he went over it in the first round, but oh well he made it over on the second try.
When asked if I was doing the gamblers choice earlier in the day I said I had signed up for it, but if no one else did than it was ok if they cancelled it.  The person asking laughed and said no, there was a gift card for the winner.  Hellz yeah I said I was riding.  They assigned points to each of the jumps, the two highest were the wine barrels (obviously skipping) and the bright green oxer.  I came up with a course with some pretty awesome lines and lots of points.  My horse answered every question I asked of him!  Talk about feeling pretty pumped!

Go time baby

50 points! Jumped it twice!

Flying!

Then it was time for the joker fence!  It was a two stride from the black box of bones to the red vertical.  I took a deep breath, picked up a good canter and swung as wide as I could in the turn so he would have a chance to see it and it was show time.  At the last moment he thought about diving sideways and I said, hell no horse there is a gift card on the line.

Obviously tried to dive to the right

Lazer beam vision on the next jump

Yes that one 

Nope you are not going the the right you are going straight

I think the only thing we can call this is a hail mary

Yeah, we made it

 The hail mary picture really cracks me up.  I have been working hard on embracing the leg on, hands up, jump jump jump thought process.  Gone are the days of me getting in the way.  Ok that is mostly likely a lie, but I'm working on it.  Also do you see how big that oxer is? Anyways, feel free to laugh and my hands' literal interpretation.

Looking forward to a great day

Over all it was a very good time.


And oh yeah, we won the Gamblers choice!!!!!!