i wasn't born in a barn, but i got there as fast as i could. 

Frankie and I went out and dabbled in the eq/hunter rings again!  Short version: tons of fun, continuously learning how to adjust to this new way of going, and Frankie was literal perfection. 

Are you at all surprised by that last bit?? 

Anywho, we opted to stick in just the derby/eq rings again for this show since it worked so well last time.  I think with some practice, Frankie will be able to more easily transition between the jumper ring and the others, but for now it’s super helpful for both of us to “drill” a bit to really figure out what we need to do. 

He shipped into the showgrounds on Tuesday with a whole bunch of other ponies, by all reports settled in like a gentleman (aka naps.  Immediate naps).  Our barn had 11 or 12 horses at this show, so we staggered shipping in over the course of a few days!  Kinda crazy, I think pretty much everyone that shows went to this particular one.  A much bigger group than we usually have, and it was fantastic! 

I opted to have Trainer take Francis around one of the 3′ hunter divisions (sans U/S) on Wednesday, just so he could see the big ring and get the measure of it.  I would do it myself if I didn’t have this pesky office job getting in the way, but I wanted him to go around that ring before the derby on Saturday.  He absolutely LOVES my trainer – it’s seriously adorable – and was a very sweet boy for her.  With 50+ in the class there’s zero chance that my mobile sewing machine would place against actual hunter types, but I’m always pleased when he shows his consistency and good nature.  I do really think we could do well in the AA or AO hunters, where manners and suitability are considered! 

He then got a light day on Thursday – no competing, just stretching his legs a bit. 

Friday I was FINALLY able to get away from work, and got to do our Ariat Adult Medal class!  First thing in the morning, bright and early.  Trainer did hop on him for a quick hack early in the morning – the temp had dropped down to the low 50s overnight and she wanted to make sure he was feeling mannerly.  In her words: “I forgot it was Frankie.  He’s obviously fine.” 

I have video of this class from two different angles, funny enough!  I’ll include them both here, along with the course map. 

Overall thoughts: I literally rode him to nothing at that first jump.  I was just happily sitting up there and did.  zero.  things. 

FRANCIS TAKE THE WHEEL WE’RE GOIN FOR THE LONG ONE. 

Then I majorly overcorrected and chased him to jump 2.  Because clearly that’s the right move.  But after that I was really happy with the rest of the course!  I didn’t get him straight enough after jump 4, so we had a bit of an unbalanced late change (and you can see me wrestling with him a little bit as he goes WEEEEEE and stops paying attention).  But overall he was responsive, polite, and handled himself really well in such a big ring. 

Look at how happy he is.  Just look at him. Ignore my questionable position here and just admire the scenery and cute horse. 

It was pretty cool being done by 8:30am, and I got to spend the rest of the day cheering on my barnmates, loving on Frankie, and enjoying the gorgeousness of these showgrounds. 

This is God’s country

Then Saturday was kinda hysterical in its timing.  The Jr/Am derby started at 7:30a in the main hunter ring, and I was third in the order.  Then the VHSA Flat class started at 8a in Hunter 2, followed immediately by the VHSA medal class.  This meant going from one ring to another very quickly, including a costume change for both me (getting rid of shad and stock tie and donning my hunt coat) and Francis (taking off his martingale and adding his boots).  This led to a pretty hysterical revolving door of show coats, martingales, and boots.  But we figured it all out! 

It’s really a shame that Frankie gets so keyed up before we go in the ring.  You can just see it in his expression. 

Lucky me – I have video of our derby trip too! 

Thoughts on this: I really need to get my act together when the first jump is a long approach oxer away from home, apparently.  But honestly, I couldn’t be more thrilled with how he went around.  He was super adjustable, flowed well, carried a nice steady rhythm without needing too much from me, and was a thoroughly enjoyable ride. 

Does he have the tightest form?  No way.  Does he have the sweetest expression?  For sure. Seriously I know he’s basically cantering over this but his little ears and little nose are just the cutest I’ve ever seen. 

I was extremely pleased with our base score of 72, with the two high options giving us a score of 74.  We held on to a top 12 spot for much longer than I thought we would before the cutoff for the handy rose above a 74!  With almost 60 in the class, there were some truly gorgeous rounds that got some very high scores.  Overall, I’m delighted.  We’re never going to be truly competitive in that ring with Frankie’s movement and his lack of desire to try very hard at that height, but we sure are having fun learning how to show ourselves off to best advantage. 

Took the high option here, and Francisco was not particularly bothered

We then did our costume change and headed over for our equitation on the flat class!  Nothing too crazy here – they had us sit the trot for a while, and show a lengthening at the trot (we may have broken into a canter for a stride going to the right oops).  I definitely need to polish myself back up, but was able to snag an 8th place and a ribbon!  Ain’t mad about that. 

We then had our VHSA adult medal class, which was super fun.  Frankie gave me all the cool inside turns, sat down and waited to the base for me, and didn’t even mind when I took him on a track that meant I had to duck under the branches of a tree.  He was definitely getting tired at this point though, and I had to really kick hard for the lead changes.  I think I should get bonus points for literally carrying him through those because homeboy was not offering them up in the least. 

I thought it was a solid, workmanlike trip but nothing stellar.  I was very surprised to be called back to test in 4th (this class has the option to test the top 4)!  The test was pretty simple: canter directly to an outside single, rollback to an oxer, rollback to a trot fence, rollback to a long approach oxer towards home, then show the sitting trot to the in-gate. 

I am a noodle brain and completely forgot the sit trot to the gate, but other than that it was a great test!  I think if I had remembered that dang trot, we may even have moved up.  But considering this was my first time having to test in a solid 12 years, I’m really very happy with it. 

Very proud of our ribbon! 

I then got to spend the rest of the day cheering on friends and relaxing again.  It was lovely. 

I wanted to take his braids out, he wanted to nap.  We compromised and did both at the same time.  He kept trying to lay his head on my legs for snugs. 

Thoughts on the show as a whole: I own a unicorn.  He truly is incredible.  I also think that with some practice and polish on my part, we’re going to be really strong competitors in the adult equitation.  Trainer agreed, and mentioned that Frankie looks super handy and capable in that ring, and it’s something that he can excel at with the lifestyle he’s leading right now.  He’s obviously fantastic in the jumper ring, but that does require us to keep him more conditioned and fired up, which is something that I don’t really have the capacity for right now.  He’s really fitting into the equitation very naturally, and it’s a ring that’s very familiar to me as well. 

I don’t know when our next show will be – I’m travelling a lot in July and August – but I think we’ve found a solid groove to work in. 

As always, feeling so grateful for an amazing barn family, an amazing group of horses, incredibly supportive and encouraging trainers, and for my darling Francis.  Every day gets better and better with him

I love that he’s game for absolutely anything!  And I mean, if you wanted to keep playing in the derby ring, he would definitely be competitive if the jumps were bigger.  He just thinks the 3′ is too easy!  Congrats on a great show! 

Thank you!! 
Now that he’s settled into the new rhythms, I’d love to do some of the higher derbies.  The high options in this one were only 3’3″ and you can see that he was still super nonchalant, so I think the 3’6″ could potentially be cute for him once we’ve gotten some more practice! 

I maintain that the world would be a better place if everyone had a Francis. 
Isn’t that ring just gorgeous?!  The other ring we rode in had some big trees too, but it wasn’t quite as enormous as the main ring.  It’s so picturesque ❤