On the Other Side of the World: Yay for Horse Shows!

Back some time in September, the girls had their last horse show of the season. And it was my first time at a German (& hunt seat) show. They had 2 shows going on at the same time - in the bigger indoor arena, 2 dressage riders would compete at a time. They would come in, salute the judges, & then wait. An announcer would read the pattern as they went along & the riders would have to execute whatever the announcer read. Frankly, I find it confusing! Just give me the pattern to memorize & I'll be happy. In the smaller outdoor arena, the kids rode (like academy). However, they have a lead pony & follow the lead pony while an announcer tells them what to do. And you have to stay behind the horse in front of you. They perform at the walk, sitting trot, posting trot, & "gallop." Though when they gallop, they do it individually. Larissa competed in this class with Holly. She was doing great until Holly decided she wanted to leave the arena! Leena showed in a leadline class, but their classes are a little more demanding than ours as it was a walk-trot leadline class. Leena did very well as well. Both girls received ribbons for their efforts which they were very proud of. The ribbon colors are not like ours - yellow, or gold, is first, while blue is 3rd. Green is a general participation ribbon. I don't remember what the other colors were ...

Dagmar & I watched one of the more competitive dressage classes after the girls rode. And I believe one of the horses was a Morgan! He was black, very compact, trotted above level, & had a great neck. I also thought I might have found a half Saddlebred because the chestnut had an ASB neck - coming straight out of his shoulders.

Here are some photos from the show -