Palomino's Training Journal-Showtime!

Palomino

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What a wonderful weekend at the 2023 Nashoba Carriage Classic ! As many know, we have not shown in nearly 2 years due to a move and various other factors. It seemed to take an insane amount of work and planning to get ready for this show but it was worth it and when things went unexpectedly awry the first evening, I discovered just how wonderfully welcoming and generous the carriage community really is!

If anyone is considering carriage, I highly encourage them to jump into it! You don't have to overthink it as I did and even in spite of my micro planning, we had to make last minute tack changes, but even though we may not have looked perfect, we still did well for our very first carriage show!

Now to the results. I will try to include descriptions of the classes and I have included pictures of the patterns if anyone would like to see them.

2nd in Turnout (Primarily judged on how well everything....horse, carriage, harness, clothing... conforms to each other and traditions. We had mixed metals, brass and chrome, due to the unavoidable tack change.)
1st in Fault and Out (A course of 10 cones driven at a trot. You continue through the course until 90 seconds has elapsed or you dislodge a ball on top of the cones. We made it through the initial 10, and then 7 more before the time expired!)
1st in Working (Rail class judged on the movement of the horse.....how well they work)
3rd in Reinsmanship (Interesting class as due to time constraints there was no rail test or pattern)
1st in Timed Obstacles (Cones course of 16! driven at a trot with 5 second penalties given for canter breaks or balls down. The angles are not all accurate on the drawing but this was a fun fun class with some tight spacing. Probably our favorite at this show! Video coming soon.)

We also tied for the Overall VSE High Point Championship! Reinsmanship was the tie breaker so we ended up with the Reserve but all in all I was thrilled.

Amigo only returned to work earlier this month after having the entire summer off, but this little horse always gives me 110%. I could not ask for a better partner in carriage, especially in the obstacle classes. Timed Obstacles were at the end of the day and I was afraid he would be starting to get tired but he found another gear and carried us through to one of the fastest times in the show, including the big horses! It was his first time competing outside or around big horses and carriages, and his first time in the carriage we were borrowing but he was relaxed and happy the entire time and I think he really enjoyed showing again.

It was also probably the nicest facility I've ever shown at. Not only is it beautiful and clean, it is very well laid out with the best staff and overall environment. We made many wonderful new friends and will definitely be back again next year!
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Palomino

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Wow!!! So fantastic - huge congrats, all your work paid off. And even better to be around other folks who added to a great time. 👍👍
Thank you! Yes it is always great when there is a wonderful community like this one. Makes it much more fun and low/no stress!

Amigo is your buddy, he always pulls out the stops for you! You look so regal and elegant in the carriage. I can’t wait to see more of you showing your horses!
Thank you! Yes he sure does. I'm already looking forward to the next one too! Wish it could be sooner but it will probably be spring before we are able to go to our next show.
 

Ridgetop

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Oufit so classy and that little guy is incredible. Those little ponies take their competitions seriously. LOL DD1 used to compete in Gymkhana and she had to start the pole bending facing backwards because Mr. Spunkmobile would jump the starting gun! One time when she competed in the jumping she went 3rd behind rounds with faults. I asked why and was told that although it was a timed class, "she went around the course too fast!" LOL.
 
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