4H Horse Meeting & A Come to Jesus Meeting?!?!

As we prepare for our county fair in a little over a week we are also preparing for our County 4H Horse Show. So tonight was a meeting to discuss and practice Showmanship...Well Hubby has been out of town so that left me and the kids to get everything ready! Since the note about the meeting said "showmanship" and bring your horse I didn't think they would be doing any riding, well what's that old saying "that's what you get for thinking"!!! So of course we arrive to find out that they will be doing some riding to practice Trail, so my SIL and I high tail it back to my place to grab DD's saddle and my saddle that my niece uses..

Practicing the trot in Showmanship




Of course since we "thought" it was just showmanship we took DD's mare Ebony since that's who she's showing, but Ebony is not who she's riding during the show. She will be riding Pete, but today she said it was fine she would ride Ebony!! Which honestly she can ride this horse it's just that everyone gets her worked up because a lot of people think she is a B***H (the horse, of course LOL)...So we get back to find out that DD's horse and Little Cowboy's (my nephew) horse had a little battle while we were gone. Apparently DD circled Ebony around because she wouldn't stand still and as she did that she got to close to Little Cowboy's horse who then shot out with a kick and Ebony kicked her back well then his horse lunged forward and stepped on the the side of his foot *ouch*!!

Getting Ebony in the proper stance..



Well so when it was time to ride DD had gotten a little worked up because Ebony was being a handful but we got her saddled anyways and DD went off on her. OK this mare is 9 years old, she was an excellent trail horse when we bought her but at that time she had just foaled and was in foal again! So needless to say she spent a couple of years not being ridden a lot. So anyhow they go into the arena and DD is trying to get her to flex and stretch her out and Ebony starts side stepping...DD did everything she could but Ebony wasn't responding. So I told her to just walk her out and see if she would calm down. Well that didn't work either, she just kept crow hopping and was trying to put her head down so she could buck! Which is crazy for this mare!! She was never like this...So after a couple loops around trying to get her into check it wasn't working. So SK our friend and 4H leader switched her horses and he got on and Ebony instantly tried to pitch him so he worked her for a minute then when she wouldn't stop he took her off to the side to have a little come to Jesus meeting and try and get her attitude in check! Unfortunately even though he did a great job with her he needed a side pull to get her head around and none of us had one..So she was just tied for the rest of the evening...

Kisses for Miss Beauty!!


Cowboy SK helping DD out..




So what do you all think?!?! Like I said before this mare is 9 yrs old and was a great riding horse and now acts like she's never been ridden before?!?! Let's have a little history on her here too.. As she was broke they used the typical martingales on her and then they never graduated her out of it. So a few months back I sent her to a trainer and he and his daughter worked with her for 40 days and she was doing better, but they also only rode her in the martingales and I really wanted her away from those!!..But we are now back to square one with her, UHH!!! It's so frustrating....

DD and SK discussing the problem??


Ebony had another almost buck, and DD was not liking it...




I told Hubby tonight when he got home from being out of town that I need some ground worked and some panels set up so I could be working with her everyday in a smaller area, just big enough to run a figure 8... His response....No....I'm like seriously I need this done because I need to ride her everyday to get through this and he refuses because "I might break my back again"...I was like come on, this from the man who does crazy stunts all of the time and then says well I can get hurt doing anything so I might as well have fun doing it!!!

OPP, now she's in solitary confinement...


She's still beautiful~