Big Sloppy Show Fail

So remember the other day when I was all "Ohhh boo hoo I won all the prizes but they don't really mean a thing"  and you guys were all like "SHUT UP JUST GETTING TO THE RING IS A SUCCESS."

Well, yeah.  As usual you are right and getting to the ring would have been a big giant success.  Technically I suppose we got to the ring, we just didn't totally get around the opening circle. 

(sigh).

In case you're all, "wait what? that doesn't sound like the big, glossy pretty Prairie we know.."

Well, it's not.  Her "Seattle is cold take me back to California" self has decided to REGROW a winter coat and that is literally the least of our issues.

First off - EARS. MY GOD.  Secondly, this is the most successful we were all day.  We won the blue ribbon for standing in our stall.

First off, it's cold.  Cold and rainy. There was hail at the show grounds yesterday for schooling which I've been told made life rather interesting for some of the green beans.  The downpours left the outdoor ring a tad sloppy, but not bad.  Though it OBLITERATED the lunging areas and also the back ring that doesn't really get used for this show, but we like to use as Prair's super secret not busy warm up area. 

So problem 1 - Prair doesn't like slippery ground.  It's fair.  Neither do it.  If I did I'd be good at ice skating and off dealing with the weird subjective judging and questionable rhinestones in that that expensive sport instead of the weird subjective judging and questionable use of rhinestones in this one. 

Given the temps dropped 20 degrees a lunge seemed prudent, but Prair freaked out, objected and fell before we could acquiesce to her request that she not-get-lunged. 

Great.  So now instead of just a fresh horse, there's a fresh (covered in mud) freaked out horse.  I'd say things were pretty much headed in the wrong direction right from the get go. 

When we did finally warm up, Prair immediately freaked out over the traffic in the warm up, but when we redirected to her quiet back ring, I knew we were screwed the minute my boot sank 6" in the super slick MUCK that was being passed off as footing.  (for the record that is not footing, it's a fraternity house mud wrestling pit, ask me how I know).

Prair (obviously) didn't quiet down in the slippery slop and we obviously couldn't jump her, so we gave up on warming up and just took her to the ring with the idea that if she was good, N would take her around, if she wasn't, we'd pull up and scratch.

So I pose a question to you all, can you even call it pulling up if you never get going? 

Cause whatever that's called - that's what we did.

Prair was a loon, and at that point I don't think there's much to be gained by asking her not freak out when she was already completely freaked out. 

So we scratched all the over fences meaning to come back for the flat (to at least school the ring), but then we missed the flat (why start on a positive streak now?) and that was the end of our day.

But that's horse showing right? Some days they just say no and it's up to us how to best deal with that.

In an attempt to get something interesting out of the day I went to put Prair's Ice Vibes on, but one of the "vibes" is busted and won't hold a charge.  So she just got iced... no vibe.  More fail.

Time for wine (don't judge) and a good night of sleep for both of us.

Tomorrow is another day.  Perhaps we will be redeemed.  At this point I'm just hoping she didn't do something stupid when she fell like break her pelvis, or knock her brain out of her head.

MARES.