We've Arrived! (all four of us)

Everyone has officially made it to the Desert.  Prair's been enjoying the sun for almost a full week, but The Boy, the Baby and I finally joined her today. 

Dad's trunk ready for another season!

It is already abundantly clear to me that baby + horse show is going to make for a very different experience than anything we've done before. 

After a (relatively) uneventful flight and a (relatively) uneventful drive to the show grounds, We drove around like morons for 30 minutes trying to find the barn which was much easier to find when I finally stopped looking for it where we were last year.  In my defense I clearly remember a conversation (not sure with who or when) that we were stabled in the same spot.  Not true.  We are literally the farthest stalls from the Hunter rings. 

Farthest. 

I might lose weight jogging back and forth, but probably not since today I just drove us around the show grounds from spot to spot in the car with the AC on.  Ambitious, right?

Anyway.

Prairie. 

let the show selfies begin.

Supposedly she was ACES the first few days schooling.  Calm, totally settled, unflappable, in N's words a "total pro."  But yesterday she flipped a switch and decided she couldn't deal with anything.  So, instead of having N show her in an open division Yesterday and Today, she just put in some schooling rounds and called it good.

I was expecting a repeat performance of yesterdays tantrum when N took Prair out to school, but apparently the calm, happy mare showed back up.  She looked great.  Which you'll have to take my word for because true to form I have no evidence.  I'd say I was "busy taking care of the baby" but that's a lie, because The Boy had the kiddo, and was off procuring hamburgers for us while I watched Prair. 

She did well in the warm up area, and pretty well in the ticketed schooling ring.  There were a few other horses which either could have made her more stressed, or made her happier since she wasn't alone.  Who knows.  But she did look great, and N said she felt more relaxed than she ever has at a show.

So.  Tomorrow.  N will do two warmup rounds and then in theory I'll show a 2' division (WOO!) right after. 

Time to knock that rust off!

There's definitely a photo bomb happening in this pic - just not sure who's doing it

Also, as a footnote, one of the great benefits of showing at Thermal is that there are actually lots of really good restaurants around.  You aren't relegated to Applebees and Outback for dinners after the show.  BUT, I was so paranoid about an overtired, just flew on a plane and drove in a car and hasn't really napped baby - that we chickened out and went to Red Robin for dinner. 

Underwhelming salad, but proudly we didn't have the worst behaved kid there.  So that's a blue ribbon for the babe right there!

Go team!