Ace Shows Off

Ace went to the CalNet Horse Show on Sunday, where he was ridden by two of the girls in the Total Equestrian Experience riding program. This was his first official dressage show. It was a schooling show and he competed in Training Levels 1 and 2. Unfortunately, the videos are too large to post. But I do have stills.

Team Ace prepares the boy for competition.

One of the mothers got jammy bottoms to cover white britches before the show. Then she added the Prince's name in green.

Training Level 1 with Abby in the saddle.

Training Level 2 with Jillian.

 I love the little bow at the end. So cute. And he's almost square.

Two of the other horses I sometimes ride at the barn competed as well. Sapi is a pretty mustang (as you can see from the brand) who came to the barn with a bunch of issues. She's about the same height as Ace, but her movements are very different.

Neesa is a fjord pony who's enough shorter than Ace to really make a difference when I get off. The first time, I jarred my back pretty hard.

Like Ace, she's lost the vision in one eye, but it was a much more gradual loss. Unfortunately, it is her left eye, which can make leading her a little challenging.

Everyone had a good time and a massive number of ribbons were collected for the day. I'm still waiting to hear how Ace scored, since I couldn't stick around for the rest of the show.

The show was at the Equidome at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. It's a big, scary covered arena, with flags hanging from the rafters and strange sounds. Right after Ace started his first round, a wail of sirens went off nearby. He was amazing. He never reacted. He just stayed with his job.

My friend Melinda Snodgrass bred him to be a dressage sport horse, but she moved up to warm bloods when he was a baby. So I got him. He has a lovely personality. Melinda called his mother, Rocky, "The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla," for her attitude, but she was a queen in the show ring. Ace is definitely to the manor born when he enters the ring. I was so proud of him I wept.

July Horse Show

Going to a horse show as an owner, but not a rider, is a bit like going to your child's school awards show. It's an emotional experience when you find out other people think he's the best in his class, too. Once again, Ace stepped up to the plate and delivered for the team, making us all very proud of our pretty boy.
Ace looks a little sleepy (or bored) in this picture with Ashley Shrader, but maybe he was just thinking that it was about time he got the recognition he deserves. Ace's wearing the first of four blue ribbons he won at the open horse show sponsored by the Arabian Horse Association of the San Fernando Valley on Sunday in Simi Valley. Ash did a fine job of riding him in six classes and where he wasn't first, he went second and third. (In both of those classes, the win went to an Arab mare who used to be at the same barn as we were, so Ace spent time nickering at her over his back fence. She has a very nice owner who is home from college for the summer. Katie and Ashley have a long history of competing together and against each other.)

The ribbon on his bridle was for the obedience class, in which he took a second in May. Earlier that morning, he had done his first trail class--where we expected him to excel--but the results weren't given until hours later. He did win his division in trail, with no hesitation about anything. Before that class opened, and the kids were all walking the course, he did have an issue with the mail box. But he had a chance to look and smell inside and that was that. Once Ashley was on his back, it was all about the job.

He also got the blue in the open English class and the ground-poles class. Gayle and several of the other adults teased that next time we'd put him in the jumping class, but I said "no thanks." I'm not interested and I'd rather he didn't get an independent idea about it.
In addition to riding Ace, Ashley rode her own pony, Curious Curio (above, with Ace), in all of the cross-rail classes plus a different division of the trail class. She brought home a blue and placed in the others.
It was a fine day for all of the riders from Total Equestrian Experience, as the selection (not the total collection) of ribbons shows. Credit goes to Gayle Paperno, who's a great teacher.

Ace Goes to a Show

It's been a busy few weeks. I've wanted to do a nice, edited clip of Ace at his first horse-show, but Windows and Picasa are determined to thwart that objective. Windows refuses to recognize the format of the clips and Picasa can't edit video. Plus, the longer clip is too long for Blogger. So I'll show the clip of him entering the ring and if I ever get to edit the two clips together, I'll post that another time. If you aren't interested, just feel free to skip the visuals.We took Ace to an all-breed schooling show sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Arabian Horse Association, which was held in Simi Valley on May 31. In the photograph above, he's on the left hanging out with his distant cousin (determined by a comparison of pedigrees) Peanut, recently acquired by the owner of the ranch where Ace boards and Total Equestrian Experience has lessons. Ace was having a fine time being fussed over by several of the young women who served as grooms that day.

Gayle's assistant Ashley, who turned 18 last week, rode him. She's been riding him in lessons and wanted to show him in flat classes because her Welsh pony, Curio, doesn't like to do flat work. Ace acted like he'd been going to shows all of his life. He was totally sensible, keeping himself under control even when other horses were going nuts nearby.

Once he was in the ring, nothing mattered more than being the center of attention. He's always loved having an audience, and he sure had one that day.

Ace came home with second place ribbons for Obedience and English Pleasure, a third place in ground poles (which we entered for the heck of it, never expecting him to place), and a forth in English Equitation. We were all very proud of him and he seemed pretty proud of himself.