"Looks Like We Made It ..."

Last weekend's horse show went so well for me.
The weather was miserable - over one-hundred degrees all weekend, except for Sunday, when a huge summer thunderstorm rolled in in the middle of the night before. But even with the unbelievable, uncomfortable weather, Bob still tried so hard for me, and it showed!
By the time the weekend was over, Bob and I had won a third place in show hack, and with my trainer handling or riding Bob, we also managed to come home with a fifth in show hack and a fifth in sport horse in-hand. We even left the show with a Regional Top 5 title to our name! But, with all these huge accomplishments, I have to say taking Bob in the Regional Show Hack Championship was my favorite part of the whole weekend.
It was hot and stuffy and miserable in the indoor arena, and I'm sure Bob had plenty of things he'd rather be doing than go in there and exhibit ten gaits in both directions in front of the judge. But you better believe Bob went out there and he did it for me anyway. He did everything he knew how to do; he didn't do one thing bad, and I couldn't have been more pleased by the time we lined up at the end of the class. And it was about that time - when it was all over, when we'd done all we could and it was time to just wait on the results - that I started to cry. And it wasn't just teary-eyed. It was tears streaming down my face as I acknowledged the judge at the end of the class. It was trying really hard to be quiet and respectful and not sob like a blubbering idiot while the Champion, Reserve and Top 5 awards were presented. It was me dropping the reins on Bob's neck and letting him walk out of the arena without a title to his name. It was me finally letting go and completelly breaking down outside the arena, dismounting and hugging and kissing Bob and recieving hugs and kisses from my mom and my trainer's wife, too. It was trying to tell everyone that I was crying because I was so happy when I could hardly even breathe.
... it was just so great.
Just to be able to enter the arena and be judged against such amazing horse and rider pairs is such an honor, such a privilidge. The horses in the championship class were gorgeous. Just poetry in motion to watch. I would have been content to sit in the grandstands and just watch the class ... that in itself would have felt like an honor, to be able to witness such finess and poise. But instead, I was in that class, up against these beautiful pairs. And like I said, when the class was over and I realized I had just been judged against such experienced riders - three professional trainers, and an amateur who had been riding dressage for twenty-plus years - I couldn't help but cry, because I felt so blessed to be at the same caliber of competition as them. After only competing in show hack maybe five times in my whole career, on a horse that until about two months ago was trained as a Nationals quality western pleasure horse.
I'm so proud of my Bob! It was the perfect was to wrap things up before going to Nationals.
Nationals! It's coming up so fast! In just about a month ...
Wow.
Something tells me there will be some tears shed at the end of that week, too.
And, win or lose ... something tells me they'll all be tears of joy.

Five Songs That Were Important To Me At This Horse Show

1. Guilty Pleasure - Cobra Starship. I had this one stuck in my head all weekend! But that's okay. It was a fun tune to hum to myself during downtime between classes =D

2. Stars & Boulevards - Augustana. I started humming this one to myself about halfway through the weekend. It was a nice, quiet song to sing when I was walking across the gorgeous show facility.

3. Fake It - Seether. I don't know what got this one stuck in my head. But it was the perfect song to help me "get my bitch on" before my classes XP

4. You And Me - Lifehouse. In the warm-up arena before my Regional Show Hack Championship, I randomly started singing this one to Bob as we prepared for our biggest class of the weekend. It helped keep his attention on me - and it helped calm my nerves before entering the ring.

5. Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance. I sung this one to myself in the warm-up before my big class at my last Regionals show. I felt it was only fitting to do the same as I headed towards the pen at this weekend's show. And, just like last time, singing it helped me get focused and "in the zone" before entering the ring.