So I find myself getting into a brand new adventure. A group of friends of ours are taking their registered Canadians to the International Working Equitation competition this year which happens to be hosted in Canada this time AND just 10 mins from our house! I was making full plans to go and audit, until multiple friends of ours threatened our lives if we didn't register to ride and compete in the week long camp-so clearly the decision was made that we would be going.
Now let me begin by saying this-I have never watched, ridden or competed in WE nor do I know fully what it actually intales. My general attitude towards things is to try everything once and if anything it becomes a new learning experience-aka an adventure. I am incredibly to have my incredible husband always at my side in those crazy adventures that I keep dragging his behind in. He simply is the best. He laughs and finds humour in everything and he keeps my head and mind on the "sane" side of things when it gets a little dicey. As an unpaid groom, equine chauffer, psyho therapist and source of cash as the bank of Kelly-he truly is what makes my day go round. He always knows exactly what's going on in my mind, he understands the horses like no one else and he instantly knows when something goes wrong. I couldn't ask for a better partner to go through all these crazy adventures with. When this working equitation clinic idea came up, an immediate sense of panic came on as I started to wonder what I had gotten ourselves into. My mare has a heart of gold, and is just so willing to do anything for me so I know that no quest is to much. I'm genuinely convinced that she thinks she is of the dog specie as she asked for her daily bum scratch, and on any given day will lick you to death. If she were a dog, she would be a Maltese. She is highly motivated by food, will sit in your lap and is as sharp and smart as a whistle. When she looks at you, you know she is already planning her next action. She's the type of horse where you have to hide how to lock and unlock the gate, because if she sees you doing it even just once-she will be out of her pen in less than 5 mins. She knows how to untie herself and every other horse nearby. She knows how to open the locked cookie bin in the trailer. She knows how to remove the hardest to remove grazing muzzles. She knows to remove bridles and open most man doors. She knows how to open and close zippers for treats. She will learn new tricks by watching other horses doing them. The just of it, should I lack brain cells to do this whole working equitation thing, she will take me through it because that's the type of horse she is. Luckily for us there is a week long clinic before the weekend show, so we will (hopefully) be able to learn enough of the basics to be challenging to those levelling with us. If anything it's going to be a fun adventure and we get to see a lot of our friends in the process. More to come about the training coming up to it! |