1st Show!

On April 10, 2010 I took Ace to his first show in Lemmon Valley, NV. At Diamonds in the Rough he did excellent. When he first arrived he whinnied a few times but settled down after a few minutes and munched on some hay. He stood perfectly to be groomed and saddled like the good boy that he is. He warmed up nicely and soon figured out that the horses passing him in the warm up arena and all around him were not there to hurt him. He was really cautious at first to stay away from the other horses, but after a few minutes he relaxed and started really getting soft and supple. When waiting for our classes he stood quietly and patiently until we were ready to go in. In our first class Western Equitation we got a 2nd out of 10, Western Pleasure 4th out of 12, W/T Poles 3rd out of 10, and W/T Single Stake 3rd out of 10. Overall, he did amazing for his first show. He handled the commotion great along with all the new sights and smells. I wasn't even expecting to place at all since he's only had 30 days on him. The winter weather and arena conditions made it really hard to make much head way, but against all odds he was progressed wonderfully. I am so proud of him. It just goes to show what consistency, concentrated training, wet saddle blankets, and long rides can do for a young horse, even a young stallion. There were several mares in heat that I noticed there, and he did not whinny, grunt, call, drop or do anything towards them. One girl was even showing for him just 5 ft in front of him, and he behaved just like the gentleman I expect him to be. He has really gotten past his shyness of other horses and stands quietly next to them without being so on guard anymore. What a good boy!