Mt Pony Tried To Kill Me Today… Twice!

This evening the barn owner and I trailered horses to the show grounds to practice riding in the big arena.

Well, it was 65 degrees out, windy and overcast. The show grounds were relatively deserted, and Nico hadn’t been ridden since Tuesday. So why was I surprised when he threw his head down and bolted when I gently asked him to canter? The brakes were nonexistent. Lots of little circles and half halts helped get things under control.

Then, we came around a corner at the canter and Nico did an impressive spook at the barn owner (I’m guessing) who was sitting in the stands. We had been around the arena fifteen times and she had been there the whole time. But all of a sudden, she was totally terrifying. The spook consisted of slamming on the brakes and first lunging to the left, then lunging to the right. I totally lost my balance and grabbed onto his neck. If he had done one more sudden move I would have hit the dirt, but he stopped after that and I got myself back square in the saddle. Whew! We all had a good laugh about it, at least. I haven’t come off Nico yet, and today was almost the day. Nico has NEVER spooked like that, and it really surprised me. Now I just need to keep my confidence up and continue trusting my pony to not be stupid in the future.

Then, after getting back to the barn, I unhooked Nico in the trailer then the barn owner opened the back door and I asked him to back out. I kind of stuck my head into the escape door and WHAM! Nico smooshed my head between his head and the side of the trailer. Then, he jerked  his head upwards and his halter scraped across my face and ear. Thank God I didn’t have an earring in or it might have been ripped out. Seriously. And why did I stick my head inside a trailer with a 1000 pound animal? And it’s not like the pony had been super well behaved this evening.

Sigh. Every now and then a day like this comes along and I am reminded that my pony is only four years old. And he’s giant and capable of being dangerous. So no matter how cute I think he is, I need to stay on my toes and keep myself safe.

Sunday’s Show

Yes, there are eyes under there somewhere...

On Sunday, Nico and I went to a horse show. Nico has become quite the traveling pony these days – over an eight day period he trailered to either a show or lesson four days. I think he’s starting to get used to it and he doesn’t seem as excited when he gets off the trailer. Then again, he might just be exhausted from all of his hard work over those eight days, but I like to think he’s growing up.

He backed off the trailer on Sunday like a pro and a man walking past actually commented on how nice of a pony he was. That was a great start to the morning.  

I tacked Nico up almost immediately and rode him over to the arena to school. Unfortunately, this show was a lot busier than the other stock horse shows we’ve been to, and the arena was PACKED with people lunging their horses. I’m not even kidding. There was no room to even work on the rail. But I went in anyway and we walked around the perimeter once.

I don’t know if it’s because I don’t have a stock horse or what, but a lot of the teenagers at these stock horse shows are quite rude to me. I will smile and say “Hi” when we’re in line to sign up for classes or something and they will totally blow me off. Attempts at polite conversation are usually ignored. Not all of the girls are like this, but enough are that it makes me scrath my head. It’s completely unbelieveable to me. Doesn’t anyone have manners anymore? The few hunter/jumper shows I’ve been to have not been like this.

Anyway, after walking around the arena once and realizing (thank God) that Nico doesn’t mind whips cracking all around him, we left the arena and walked over to the less busy practice arena. I now know that I should avoid the arena when everyone is lunging, especially if I’m ever on a sensitive horse who might freak with all of the whips.

So we trotted and cantered around the practice arena and Nico was a little forward at first, but quickly settled down and listened to me. He was super well behaved, and I practiced all of the equitation things I had learned at my lesson the day before. I kept my reins shorter with longer arms. And I  really focused on opening up my chest and keeping my chin and eyes up. I think when I have proper equitation Nico rides so much better it’s unbelievable.

So then I took Nico back to the trailer and tied him at a hay bag so he could relax and eat. I clipped his whisker stubble and brushed out his mane and tail. Nico’s tail has been getting way too long, so I pulled out some scissors and blunt cut it a few inches off the ground. He actually had stepped on it Saturday when I was bathing him and pulled a chunk out, so cutting it was long overdue. And I think it looked really nice after I cut it. It looks a lot fuller and prettier.

Nico and I chilled throughout the morning while the halter classes took place. I took photos of the barn owner’s son in his classes and let Nico graze a little. I waited until two classes before our first riding class, hunt seat equitation, then climbed on and went to practice our pattern. Yes, we had a pattern. No, Nico and I have never done a pattern class before. I was a little nervous, especially when I realized that I would have to ask for both leads in the pattern. Our leads are currently not 100% (okay, they’re not even 75%), so that stressed me a little. Also, I would have to transition from a left lead canter into a trot and immediately pick up my left diagonal. I don’t think I have ever done this, and my brain and body are so programmed to pick up the right diagonal on a downward transition from the left lead canter. So I practiced that a little.

We practiced cantering from a halt in the practice arena and I practiced coming down to the trot and picking up the wrong diagonal. Much harder than I thought it would be! Ack! We also practice our turn on the forehand bacause that was in the pattern as well.

Then our class was called and Nico and I headed over to the arena. We stood around with the other people in our class and waited to ride our pattern. There was an old man riding his horse and he was joking and laughing with a couple of the other women in our class. I ended up standing near him for awhile and smiled and said something to him and I was completely ignored. I thought he just didn’t know I was talking to him, so I repeated myself and I was ignored again! So I gave up and just didn’t worry about it. But I did talk with a lady on a mustang for a few minutes. She got the mustang for the extreme mustang makeover and she had only had her since January! Her little mustang was really cute and I was amazed with how well bahaved she was.

So then we went in and rode our pattern. We were supposed to walk from the first cone to the second then halt. Then do a 90 degree turn on the forehand to the right and pick up our left lead canter. Nico did the turn on the forehand, but wasn’t so sure about what I wanted him to do afterward and backed up and acted confused. Finally he figured things out and picked up his left lead. Yay! Then we cantered to the third cone and transitioned into a trot. I picked up the wrong diagonal but switched quickly and trotted to the fourth cone where we attempted to pick up the right lead. Usually this is his good lead, so I will admit I didn’t set him up well, but just kind of squeezed with my outside leg and was surprised when he picked up the left lead. Oh well! Back to the trot and we picked up the right lead on the second try. Then we transitioned back to the trot at the third cone, I picked up the wrong diagonal again, quickly switched, then halted at the second cone. I asked Nico to back and he was confused so our backing up looks scary. I think I should have asked more with the snaffle reain and less with the curb rein. Oh well, live and learn, right?

There was no rail work after our pattern, so I walked Nico back to the trailer. And they started announcing the placings as I walked back to the trailer and believe it or not, I got fourth out of seven! And I found out the rude guy from before the class was some trainer who thinks he’s a big deal, and I guess I beat him! Woo hoo! I was happy with fourth after our less than stellar pattern. But I was absolutely thrilled with how well Nico did the pattern. We don’t work on patterns, and he tried so hard to do what I wanted. All of our errors were my fault, and Nico just has the best work ethic. I love my pony!

We hung out for awhile and then went back in for our hunter under saddle class. Nico was a super star and picked up both leads, was always in the correct gait, and didn’t shy or spook at anything! I was very proud of him, even though we got last place in our class.

We also did trail, and it wasn’t too super. I almost fell off while working the gate. Nico has never ever done the gate before, so I wasn’t surprised it didn’t go too well. Then he didn’t want to canter at the canter part and I basically just let him fast trot instead of demanding a canter. Oops. We eventually got the canter, but it wasn’t pretty! Then the sidepass was a disaster, although once again, we haven’t really practiced it much, so I can’t be too upset about it. Amazingly, we somehow placed fifth out of eight in trail. Hmmm… Weird. Other people must have REALLY screwed it up!

So then we were done and just hung out while the barn owner’s son rode his western classes. It was really nice to hang out with the pony, and it was a really nice day outside.

I’ll admit I was a little miffed about the not so nice trainer, though. Why would anyone think they’re so important that they can’t even smile and be friendly to someone. I know people get stressed at shows and stuff, but the guy was friendly to other people at the exact same time (people who I later realized are in his barn), so it’s not like he was lost in concentration or something. At the time I spoke to him I thought he was just some old guy riding his horse and he wasn’t riding well enough for me to even consider he might be a trainer, so I was trying to be nice to someone I thought might be a newer rider.

I know physicians get a bad rap for thinking they are super important and above other people, but that will never be me. I am kind and make an effort to smile at people. Afterall, what is the point of being on this planet if I’m not making some sort of effort to improve things. And definitely a smile and kind words can improve someone else’s day. We are all just people. And to think because you are a physician or a horse trainer or sitting on a fancy show horse makes you more important than someone else, you are sorely mistaken. It just makes you look like a jerk. Sorry for the rant, but this really got on my nerves at the show.

A Saturday Lesson

Today was a very exciting day! Nico and I trailered with friends to take a lesson with a local trainer. We haven’t had a lesson in a couple of months, so we have a lot of things that we need help with at the moment.

I polished my tall boots last night and washed my saddle pad. I tore apart and cleaned my bridle the best it’s been cleaned since purchasing it. I got out to the barn two hours before I was supposed to be picked up so that I could lunge Nico and then give him a bath. Fortunately I clipped him last night (although you can tell when you look at him that I clipped him in a dimly lit barn), and it was nice to have that checked off my list. I hate clipping when I’m in a hurry. I am not as nice to my pony as I should be when I’m rushing to get him clipped. So I did it last night after he ate dinner and was a little sleepy. We had a small battle over his ears, but through patience and persistence (no twitching, of course!) I got the edges trimmed and called it a night.

The new trainer’s farm was really pretty, and Nico came of the trailer completely relaxed. I crosstied him in the beautiful wide aisle and then ran to change while someone kept an eye on him. After changing, I came out of the lounge to see that Nico had peed in the paved aisle! I found a worker and asked her where I could get some sawdust to clean up after my pony. She said not to worry about it and she got some sawdust and threw it down for me and then swept it up. I really wanted to help, but she insisted she would do it. I’ve never been in a barn where the workers cleaned up after your horse in the aisle. It left me feeling a little bad that she had to work harder because of my pony.

Anyway, then I tacked the pony up and he was super well behaved. No dancing in the crossties. No baby stuff. He acted like a seasoned show horse. He honestly seemed to be enjoying himself.

I left Nico’s halter on him and carried his bridle while we walked out to the outdoor arena. The arena was absolutely beautiful. I let Nico graze while my friend rode in a lesson. I bridled Nico about 30 minutes before our lesson was supposed to start and climbed on.

I could not believe how good Nico was in a new place. Lately, he’s been absolutely wild when we travel to different places. But today he was fantastic. We walked around outside the arena until my lesson started. He was a little scared of the cross country jumps, but didn’t do anything stupid. He just balked and required a lot of encouragement to approach and eventually touch the jumps. But he got over his fears and we were soon walking right up to the jumps without problem.

So then it was time for my lesson. I purposely hadn’t asked Nico to trot or canter because I wanted the trainer to coach me on how to deal with Nico when he’s strong. But go figure when I asked him to trot in my lesson he stepped off as pleasantly as can be. We spent a lot of time trotting and bending. I learned a lot about things I was doing wrong. I have been riding with my reins way too long. So we fixed that first. Then she helped me with my equitation which I already knew needed major help, but didn’t really know how to fix. She helped me realize just how much I need to work on stretching up my upper body and dropping weight into my heels. And I never realized how much I look at Nico’s head and the ground instead of straight ahead.

We also worked a lot on taking and giving with my hands and getting Nico to soften and bend. I felt like we made a lot of progress and I have a lot of new things to work on.

After trotting for a long time, we cantered for what seemed like forever. It was really hot out and I’m really out of shape. I need to start jogging or something. Seriously. Nico wasn’t too peppy today either, and needed a lot of encouraging. But I love him because even if he’s lazy he never gives me attitude when I make him work. As I spurred him on, there were no pinned ears or swishy tail. The trainer told me that my heels come up at the canter, so I’m going to do a lot of no stirrup work and two point work in an attempt to fix it. I think it’s mostly lack of fitness. Yay for homework!

After cantering we did some trot poles and trotted some crossrails. Then the trainer set up a small course and we trotted in and cantered out of a few lines. She said it would be a five stride line and we did it in eight. I’m not even kidding. Nico was really dragging and he has very short legs. The trainer didn’t even touch on my jumping form, which may be for the best in this first lesson. Right now it’s kind of beyond help. Hopefully some serious work without my irons will help my leg while jumping as well.

And then we cooled out. It was a really long, really hot, really productive lesson. And I caught a glimmer of Nico’s potential for being a fun little jumping pony. I feel like we are finally clicking as a team. It took a long time for us to really bond, but I now feel like Nico might be my once in a lifetime horse. He is just fantastic and I love spending time with him.

After the lesson I took Nico into the barn and walked him into the dark wash stall. He stood quietly while I hosed him off and then he hopped on the trailer. He is so good about getting on/off the trailer, it makes it a lot easier to get offered rides when your horse is good at loading and unloading.

There’s a horse show tomorrow! We’re showing trail, hunter under saddle and hunt seat equitation. Stay tuned for results!

A Very Muddy Show… Part II

Okay, I’ll admit I’m just too lazy to write much about the rest of the show. But you can just know that it was ridiculously muddy and Nico was really strong and Moo and I had our hands full. We just each did one equitation class and I rode Nico in trail. Well, I’m not much of an equitation rider, and it’s hard to look good on a strong horse, so I ended up with a 6th place (and amazingly there were more than 6 riders in the class!) and Moo (who is a MUCH better rider than I) got a 2nd place ribbon.

Since you really don’t want to see the equitation video, I’ll just post the trail video that Two Haffies took. She was super cool to take so many videos of us!

The trail class was kind of funny. We had to back around that one orange cone and Nico didn’t get his right front leg around it! Gotta love the pony’s reaction to a cone appearing between his legs – something like, “Oh, a cone…” Then we backed into a pole and he said, “Oh, a pole…” Then when we trotted past that building he REALLY wanted to slow down and look at it. You can see my fabulous equitation as I use my whole body to keep him moving.

Then you can really see Nico’s personality at the bridge as he tries to convince me to go around instead of over. But he’s a good boy and although it wasn’t exactly a beeline approach, it went well.

As for sidepassing an “L”, let’s just say we’ve never even attempted it before. I’ve worked a little on sidepassing a couple of steps here or there, but nothing quite so obnoxious as an “L” yet. But he tried hard for me and I couldn’t help but give him a pat afterwards. Are you allowed to pat your pony in trail class?

So now this weekend involves trailering to a lesson with a new hunter/jumper trainer on Saturday and then a stock horse show on Sunday. Maybe later I will write about last night where we trailered to 4-H practice and Nico went through a set of four trot cavaletti in two canter strides (it might have been more like two leaps, but it sounds more pleasant if I call them canter strides). He didn’t touch any of the poles, though. I know you’re impressed. And then after that athletic display we were demoted to trotting over one pole on the ground. I’m not even kidding. We were only allowed to trot ONE pole while little kids on their 4-H ponies jumped. Grrr…. But then everyone else left and Nico was wanting to move so I got in my two-point and let him flat out gallop down the long sides of the arena. I have never moved so fast on a horse. His ears were flat back and he was really moving. It was so much fun

A Very Muddy Show… Part 1

This past Saturday morning involved me waking up at 6am when my sidekick, Moo (the teenager from my old barn), called to see when I was leaving for the show. She was thinking about bringing her horse to the show to do the few jumping classes that were  being offered. We had discussed the night before that the arena at the show grounds was apparently flooded. She said she would drive over and check out the arena then decide what to do about showing.

I got out of bed and drove out to the barn. I hadn’t given Nico a bath because I didn’t really see the point when it was so muddy and stormy out. But I quickly hosed off his legs and washed his tail out so that it wasn’t brown. It wasn’t really white after washing it. But at least it wasn’t manure-brown anymore.

So then we loaded up and headed over to the show grounds. In the trailer, Nico managed to get a nice gash over his right eye. After utilizing the first aid kit for the first time this show season, we tied Nico to the trailer with his hay bag and went to look at the arena. And boy it was gross.

I changed into my riding clothes and decided that I was not going to do halter in that kind of mud. Yuck! I also realized that although he was behaving, Nico was FULL of energy. It didn’t matter that I had ridden him hard Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. He was pumped and ready to go.

At about this point in the morning, Moo showed up without her horse, but she brought her show clothes and offered to ride Nico in a few classes if I wanter her to. Did I ever! She is a fantastic rider and she has ridden Nico quite a few times over the past year.

So she threw on her clothes and I saddled Nico. Then we went over to the unfenced practice arena and tried to school the pony. I got on first and we picked up a trot. I could barely contain the pony, even with the pelham. I rode past Moo and she was laughing at us. I told her, “I think we need to canter!” So off we cantered at a million miles per hour.

Usually Nico loses steam fairly quickly, but Saturday was definitely the exception to that rule. I cantered him for a good twenty minutes, then was too tired to continue and Moo switched me places and let him canter for another twenty minutes. During this time, another competitor came up to me and said, “Wow, he looks like he could go all day! He’s really fit!” I could have done with him being a little less fit this weekend!

I think part of his thing was that it is the first time I’ve ever really asked him to work in mud. I think he totally loved it. He never hesitated to canter through any water he was pointed at. He had a blast. Moo and I, on the other hand, were getting a little tired. She finally jumped down and I got back on to walk Nico out and see if he would trot more reasonably after he cooled down a bit.

I walked the pony around for a long time before asking him for a little trot work and he responded beautifully to half halts and would do his western jog when I hummed to him. Perfect!

So we tied Nico back to the trailer and got dressed in our show clothes. At this point, Two Haffies showed up armed with her camcorder and fancy camera! She is so incredibly cool! She ended up taking great photos and videos of the day. Vidoes of us showing are absolutely priceless. I love looking at the things we did well and noticing the things I can do better. AndI’m sure in a few years it will be fun to look back at when Nico was only four years old.

We walked (more like waded) over to the practice arena and Moo hopped back on because her class was first. She said, “I just want to get his left lead a couple of times.” His left lead is still a little annoying at times, so she put him through his paces quickly.

Moo and Nico walk through the swamp to get to the practice arena...

Moo and Nico in the warmup arena

So then Moo and Nico rode in the arena for awhile and Nico forgot that he is terrified of the gray cylinder things outside of the fence. He spooked at NOTHING all day! Good pony!

After schooling in the arena for a bit and realizing that Nico could care less about riding in the mud, Moo came out and we relaxed for awhile. Then it got really boring and she took a brief nap on the pony.

A tired teenager and a relaxed pony...

We hung out for awhile by the concession stand and Two Haffies took this cute video of us hanging out. We didn’t know she was filming and I love how you can see Nico’s personality when he reaches back to look at Moo’s foot – and then her reaching back and patting his butt is just too cute! She can ride my horse anytime!

Today’s Show

I’m too busy for a post right now, but I’ll give you a sneak peek of how things went:

The ring ended up being too wet for jumping and just barely manageable for the flat classes. My teenage friend from my former trainer’s barn came out and rode Nico in a youth pony class. Two Haffies came out as well and took this nice photo of the two of us. There was a lot of wiping mud off of things today. But it was pretty much a lost cause. Check out that arena!

Nico Jumps!

Okay, so as you might know, Nico had some basic jumping training this winter with my former trainer. It went well and he seemed really happy to jump. Since he is only four, we’ve been taking things super slow with him and hadn’t jumped him since March, and even then it was just crossrails and not very often.

Also, it didn’t help that we moved to a stock horse barn where they didn’t have jumps. But then the cool barn owners built me a jump this week and Nico and I got to jump for the first time in awhile today!

I went to the barn with a friend, and the first thing I did when I went in to pet Nico was hop on bareback and bridleless just to goof off. I urged him into a trot and he made a beeline for the jump and we hopped over it. I guess the pony is excited to be jumping again

My friend took a couple videos of us jumping, and although the videography is not perfect, you get the idea. In this first video, the pony actually switches leads over the jump. Good pony!

In the second video we had a bad distance and I didn’t make a very nice turn to the jump so Nico knocked down the rail. We can blame the error on me. I’m  not exactly the most accomplished jumper in the world. But with a super forgiving pony like Nico I’m sure we’ll figure things out. I’m very careful to stay off his mouth when we jump, so I don’t think he’ll get too soured on jumping as long as it doesn’t cause him pain when I mess up. Please excuse my swear word in this video

Nico’s New Toy

I know I’ve mentioned before that the barn owners where I board Nico are awesome.

But today they really took the cake. Look what was in Nico’s pasture when I pulled in the driveway today:

Yeah, that’s right – the barn owners built me a jump. They have ordered jump cups, but for now the pole sits on the pegs and falls off if bumped. You just have to make sure you go over the jump the correct direction! But I totally love it! These are the coolest people ever!

So then I scratched Nico for awhile. He totally lets me know how much he appreciates being scratched. The barn owner took the cutest photos of us today:

I love how he spreads out his front legs and wiggles his lip. And excuse my golf clothes – I thought today was for golfing and not horses. But you all know how it goes – I just can’t stay away!

Nico and the Electric Fence

You know, for awhile I was under the impression that Nico was a really smart pony.

But then, Monday, I went out to ride and he totally proved me wrong. You see, I’ve been tacking him up in his pasture lately without tying him. He’s really good about standing and being a good boy.

On Monday, though, I first set up a makeshift jump with two big white buckets and some poles. Nico was highly interested in the “jump” and picked up one of the buckets by it’s handle and swung it around. So I chased him off and he went to stand by the fence.

Next thing I know, he manges to touch the electric rope with his nose and he tears around and around his pasture. Well, apparently he thought I had something to do with it, and wouldn’t let me come anywhere near him for a few minutes. Finally he gave up, though, and let me walk over to him with the saddle pad. I threw it on him and then walked over to get my saddle. Well, he walked over to the fence with the saddle pad on and TOUCHED IT WITH HIS NOSE AGAIN!

This time he about lost his mind and was sure it was my fault. It took absolutely forever before he would let me catch him again. And then he acted like the saddle pad was going to kill him.

The barn owner was standing by the gate as I chased Nico around me with a saddle pad and said, “I think you’ve taken a step back in your training!”

Haha. No kidding.

Today’s Show

Well, I told you all that I have been rather sleep deprived over the past week. So you may not be surprised when I tell you that I slept through my alarm this morning and only awoke to a text from the barn owner at6:45am which read, “Are you still coming?”

I called her back and jumped out of bed. She loaded Nico with her horse and drove to the show grounds. I met them there around 7:45. Yeah, I was late and I have the nicest barn owner in the world. Her husband brushed Nico after he got off the trailer and by the time I got there he looked great! I have really lucked out with this new barn. These people are awesome!

So I tacked up as soon as I got there. I threw my dressage saddle on the pony because my hunt saddle doesn’t fit him as well as I thought. It doesn’t seem to bother him, but I think it could fit better – so we’re using the dressage whenever possible to save his (totally not sensitive) back.

I had the barn owner give me a leg up and Nico was totally full of himself. He jogged off as soon as my butt hit the saddle and I had to straighten out my reins in a hurry (a little bit of bad horsemanship there – he’s usually so good I don’t worry about having my reins all sorted out before I get on). This guy standing near us raised his eyebrows at me and looked annoyed. Jeeze – everyone in the world doesn’t own a dead quiet quarter horse.

So I took Nico over to the warm up arena which was almost empty and let him trot out and burn off some energy. And boy was he moving! Sometimes it’s so much fun to ride him when he’s moving and grooving. Today I was a little tired to be wrestling with him, but eventually he settled and we did well. He wasn’t spooky at all, although we didn’t go into the main arena because it was cleared for dragging before the show started.

So Nico got completely sweaty and I cooled him out and then tied him to the trailer. He’s getting better and better about tying to the trailer and behaving himself (although I thought he was going to lie down once this afternoon while tied to the trailer and I almost had a heart attack).

I decided to sign up for in hand trail and ridden trail and just skip the arena since we didn’t have time to check it out without traffic. And sometimes it’s better to just avoid a fight I don’t feel like fighting to the end.

I watched to barn owner’s son do his showmanship pattern (and win!) and then went over to the trail area to do our in hand trail pattern. I had a piece of paper in my hand for the judge to score me with. I was walking toward the judge when Nico reached over and bit the paper! He proceeded to tear it in half and suck half of it into his mouth! Talk about losing control of the situation – all I could do was laugh. What the heck? The judge mentioned that we should feed him more often.

So then I did the trail pattern and Nico was not too keen on backing through an “L” of poles elevated on buckets. It was a bit much to ask him to back though something he was wary of. But I persisted and eventually we did it. This next photo summs up our backing experience. He used to back up so well. Sigh.

And then we had to walk over this weird bridge that was on top of tarps. Nico took a few seconds of convincing before he decided it was safe. In this next photo I look like I’m walking on a tight rope and Nico looks like he’s saying, “Hey lady, stop yanking on my face!”

So then I sat under a tree the rest of the day while Nico ate hay and decided I was too tired to tack up again and do ridden trail.

In the end, though, I had a great day and spent some quality time with my pony and my friends at the barn. Nico got more acclimated to the showing world, and we got the opportunity to ride around the grounds and experience some of the world outside of his usual farm.

Next show is in two weeks!!!