May 16 2010 Showing Championships
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On 16 May 2010, I entered my first ever showing competition on my horse, Bronze. Being an ignorant amateur, I went ahead and entered the Open Show Hunter class at the provincial championship as my first show. Well, I must admit that I got a bit of a shock when I realized just how ‘big’ everything was. It was not some casual little show. It was a championship: The top class of a championship. Needless to say, the horses entered were breathtaking, stunning creatures. They were perfectly turned out their coats shining like molten silver, their tack perfectly polished and every single hair in the perfect position.
Thankfully, I had my incredible instructor to help me prepare Bronze for his debut in showing. She showed me all the little tricks for turning him out perfectly: We made his plaits extra tight, trimmed his ears, whiskers and fetlocks, straightened the end of his tail, rubbed baby oil into his tail and rubbed Vaseline over his eyes and muzzle. The end result was that Bronze was unrecognizable! He looked absolutely amazing. We then tacked him up and took him down to the warm-up ring, where I had to attempt to untangle my double reins, then work out how to use the things. Before Friday, I had never even ridden in a pelham, let alone double reins! Unfortunately, the showing rules required that I use this tack, so I borrowed an old rubber pelham and bought a set of double reins. I must admit that Bronze was like a different horse in them, he was responsive on a completely different level and it was a truly amazing feeling! Once warmed up, I took Bronze into the arena to begin the class. It was all so different from what we were used to that he tensed up a lot, even making his first canter transition extremely late, but he settled down as the class went on. In the end, Bronze finished 2nd, beaten only by the horse that has been the provincial Show Hunter champion for as long as I can remember, not to mention an elementary-medium dressage horse! To make things even better, the judge told me that Bronze was a beautiful horse, and that it was very difficult to choose between him and the winner, though unfortunately Bronze had just been a bit too tense at the start. I was incredibly proud of my horse! He put in a great performance, especially considering we were both complete amateurs.
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Mystic Magic
Great effort, you done great and you look like you have been competing at championship shows for years. Congrats.
Great effort, you done great and you look like you have been competing at championship shows for years. Congrats.
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May 20, 2010
• 4,585 views
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Equestri
Polo...that is just not Bronze...no way... :O
Polo...that is just not Bronze...no way... :O
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May 20, 2010
• 4,609 views
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T W I
Wow, amazing article!
Wow, amazing article!
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May 20, 2010
• 4,577 views
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Bearsy
Whoa. O.O Bronze looks stunning! Congrats, and well done, Polo! You did awesomely! :D
Whoa. O.O Bronze looks stunning! Congrats, and well done, Polo! You did awesomely! :D
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May 20, 2010
• 4,719 views
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Polo the Weirdo
MOD
Thanks guys! :D Equestri, he looks WAY different, doesn't he? O.O All my friends were walking up to me at the show, asking if I had got a new horse. :P Haha!
Thanks guys! :D Equestri, he looks WAY different, doesn't he? O.O All my friends were walking up to me at the show, asking if I had got a new horse. :P Haha!
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May 20, 2010
• 4,574 views
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Dreamer100
WOW! You and your horse, Bronze, did amazing!
WOW! You and your horse, Bronze, did amazing!
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May 21, 2010
• 4,598 views
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Polo the Weirdo
MOD
Thank you! :D I was so proud of him. :)
Thank you! :D I was so proud of him. :)
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May 23, 2010
• 4,574 views
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weezapony
Whee! Another Polo article! I have no idea how I missed this when it came out! Anyway, you two both look awesome possum! Congrats on the second, way to show those big showy people how it's done!
Whee! Another Polo article! I have no idea how I missed this when it came out! Anyway, you two both look awesome possum! Congrats on the second, way to show those big showy people how it's done!
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May 25, 2010
• 4,572 views
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May 30, 2010
• 4,576 views
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