Open show June 20, 2010

I took Bandit to a local open horse show today. We have shown here many times and it's usually pretty small. Today was no exception. We usually do well here, but today this was not in the cards. We started out well. Showmanship started around 10:30 am. We got first out of 5 and a first out of 7. Bandit did everything well so I was prepared to be happy with our classes even it we didn't get first place. But we did, so it was a great start to the day. Then we waited around for Western to start, which was around 1 pm. We did the trail class, got first, but we were the only one in the amateur class. We got third of three in the open trail. The sidepass was a zigzag and we didn't do so well on it in either class. Everything else seemed to be fine. Then it was time for equitation. We don't usually do well here so I don't expect too much. I concentrate on keeping my legs behind the cinch, shoulders back, leaning back, keeping my right leg from moving too much, etc. But I didn't do so well. I had a hard time steering Bandit where I wanted him to go. Then he decided to kick at my spur when I went to pick up the right lead for the lope. He did it after a few tries but it wasn't pretty. We placed 3 of 3 and 3 of 4. Then came Bandit's specialty, western pleasure. We did the county pleasure; the left lead was picture perfect. We had to have been in the lead for first. Then we reversed and had to pick up the right lead. Like the equitaton class, it wasn't good. He kicked and bucked a little and dropped his inside shoulder. I had to stop, grab both reins, back him up, and get him in trouble, which my trainer advised me to do. So that class was blown. I was disqualified. We still had amateur western pleasure to do. It went very similar to country pleasure. Left lead was beautiful. We reversed and tried the right lead. He kicked at my spur, and was not listening to me. My trainer was nearby and I got confused on whether I was supposed to stop and back him up or keep going, so I kind of stopped him, and tried to pick up the right lead again, but then we were told to walk. So I blew this class too. I was placed fourth out of four. :( Since I couldn't get Bandit to pick up his shoulder and lope of the right lead, my trainer rode him in the last pleasure class. She snuck in a minute to school him before the class. He was good in the class and was placed first. So that was our day: from first to worst. We are going to work on keeping him from dropping his shoulder with some counter cantering. This has been helpful before. Bandit is a really good horse. He just has a rider that has no idea how to ride, even after three years of riding him. I can't tell when he's doing things incorrectly, and even worse, I 'm not very good at fixing them. Sometimes I can, but it's inconsistent at best. So, we have some work to do at home. We don't have another show for a month. That one is the same as today, the last in the series for the year. We'll be practicing each weekend between now and then. But our practices usually go well, so I'm not sure that helps that much. We may have a practice at the equestrian center where to the show is to make Bandit thinks it's a show.