Showing posts with label 4H Fair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4H Fair. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

2008 4H Fair... Last week of July

Thankfully this year the 4H Fair wasn't as hot as years past! The Grundy County 4H Fair is held separate from the regular county fair as the fairgrounds are just not big enough to house both at the same time.

Bree shows horses. That is her only project (despite prompting from me) -

This year the plan was for Bree to ride Jessie (my filly) in the 'slow' events (pleasure classes, etc..) and to show Tess in the gaming.

Well, you know the saying about 'plans' - Jessie came up lame in her left rear that even after getting injectable bute (in the vein) 2x a day for 3 days leading up to the fair. So, like any good 4H'er, must improvise. Bree used Jess for the Halter and Showmanship classes (Sr Halter Mares - as "sr" in our 4H world means 2 and over) - and placed 7th out of 21 - not bad... considering the filly is SO lazy and just wasn't going to trot to the judge even with the ring steward throwing sand at her from behind. (It IS nice however, to know, hauling her somewhere for the first time that she is as laid back and non-caring about her surroundings elsewhere as she is at the farm).

The riding classes were all about Tess - can you say "zoom, zoom, zoom"? ha! Bree did trail with her and WON - LOL. She took her in English Pleasure and English Eq (as Tess can do an extended trot not like any other - from all her games trotting) and won Eng Eq! Reserve in Eng Pleasure.

Bree didn't ride in the WP classes as that would have been too funny - also she wanted to "save" her for the gaming classes - no problem - she could have ridden all day long and that mare wouldn't have run out of gas.

She placed reserve in the reining as Tess just won't flatspin for Bree - (Bree's leg are long for a 10 yo but not quite long enough to convince Tess that she MUST flatspin)

Then, the gaming - Bree's forte' - She won all 5 classes - (barrels, poles, fig 8, plug and keyhole) - There was some pretty riding going on - the fastest I've seen them go and controlled with some beautiful turns (not all - but flashes of awesome). She won some neat class prizes and also the gaming highpoint award which she'll get at the awards dinner in November.

Skeeter (B/O) got creative and spray painted the gamers.. ha - like the flames shooting out? The pictures look black and white - but they're not - its just that games were at night and getting dark - so I had to do what I could to lighten them up - also that's why there is not alot of them!

I love the focus on Bree's face here - Tess ran a perfect and I mean perfect figure 8 pattern - it was just beautiful!

During the Poles, Tess has developed a "bad" habit of wanting to dart in between poles 5 and 6 instead of turning the end pole (I think she's so smart that she figures she'll get a better time - hahaha) - anyway, Bree has to direct her forward and a scoish OUT so Tess gets the picture that Bree is the driver - but, this is one of my favorite "butt" pictures - look at how Tess is using her hind end - which may not seem like a big thing - but, (no pun intended) the fact that for 3 years she was working off her front end almost exclusively and now transitioning to use her big bum, this is what we're looking to see.

I like to see Tess hunting the turns -

As usual, Tess, sleeps between classes and walks in and out quietly of the arena - which I like most of all - no hyperness, no antsy-dantsy, rearing, geared up behavior -

Bree has her room decorated with her purple ribbons and even though didn't get to show much in the performance classes had a good show!

Friday, August 3, 2007

The week NOT according to Hoyle...

My Mom always used that phrase.... I guess Hoyle is a guy who wrote rules and instructions for card games..

I didn't post much last week because of this Hoyle guy not coming thru for me...

Started with Monday, finding Tessa with her knee the size of a grapefruit, Tuesday had to take Snooper (our old beagle boy - 13 or 14 years old) in for surgery to have a tumor hanging off his neck removed - it was REALLY, REALLY nasty... All the while going out to the barn 2x each day to "doctor" Tessa...

Wednesday - I can't even remember what went on..

Thursday - It's pouring rain and Bill decides to leave for work late to let the traffic clear out - well, I'm sure you can see where this is going - he gets 3 miles from home and is sitting in a left turn lane waiting to turn and a 16 year old girl driving WAY too fast for conditions with a DOG (yes, DOG) on her LAP which she obviously was messing with smashes into his nice Acura going (according to the police report) 25 mph WHEN she hit him, pushing him into the intersection into another car. He declines ambulance service but agrees (to me) to take him to the ER to be checked out.. So, dealing with all that AND "doctoring" Tessa AND getting ready for the 4H Fair AND trying to clean my house as my Mom was coming on Friday to visit and see Bree compete in the 4H Fair...

So, last week was a mess. 4H Fair is over. Mom, Bree and I had a great couple of days this week and Mom and Bree left today for Tennessee - (Back home for Mom) - Well, they were half way there (south of Effingham on 57) and Mom just doesn't get a flat tire she BLOWS a tire.. To the point that a trucker, a state trooper and IDOT worker had to take a hammer and jack handle to wedge the pieces of rubber and steel belt from the tire OUT of the underbody of her Yukon (SUV) so that her wheel would turn - Needless to say, they were a little shaken (not hurt - just the nerve adrenaline hitting) -

They called just a bit ago and said they made the rest of the journey without incident.

So, HOYLE, if you're listening - CUT IT OUT! ENOUGH (you realize that FUN spelled backwards is NUF) - just another one of my dear Mom's sayings....