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Yes you are, Dude!  A star, that is.  Have I mentioned lately how incredibly lucky I am to have such a super cool pony?  I know I occasionally refer to him in a less than positive way, but today, I am taking back every single negative thing I've said about him.  He was AWESOME at Sunday's show.  Just spectacular.

While our tests went well, that's not really what I mean.  That boy was a complete Steady Eddy when he had every right to be a bit fussy.  Here's a photo from halfway to the truck and trailer from the show arena.  And these rings were not part of the warm up.

Can't see him?  Center of the picture.  Here's a closer shot.

Still can't see him?  Here's an even closer shot.

Getting closer ...

Oh!  There he is!

Yep.  Speedy G had to stand by the trailer completely alone with no other horses even remotely close by.  I had to leave him by himself so that I could check in and get my number.  He never whinnied or hollered, and he never paced or fretted.  He just watched the trail that was off in the distance and then nibbled on his breakfast.  After our rides were finished, I left him again to retrieve my score sheets and ribbons.  Again, he was a perfect angel.  In the warm-up, he was quiet and did his job without a single woohoo moment. 

Right now, I wouldn't trade his fabulous mind for anything.  It makes showing a whole lot easier when your horse is well behaved!

Speaking of showing, how'd it go?  It went smashing, thank you very much!  If you live anywhere near the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center, you should think about hitting one of their schooling shows.  Show Managers Claudia Roberts and Michele Purpora-Tardi are the most gracious of hostesses.  When I checked in at 8:00 a.m., Claudia welcomed me with a big hug and thanked me for making the long trip.  She asked how the drive went and asked if I needed anything.  She and her volunteers were eager to help in any way possible.

Everything about this venue is fabulous.  The volunteers were all friendly and helpful.  The spectators were good natured and applauded everyone's rides.  The other competitors were sociable and very upbeat.  the warm-up was filled with smiling, courteous riders who all watched where they were going in a polite and amiable fashion.  The footing was lovely, and the judge even took time at the end of my second test to offer some verbal feedback that was very much appreciated.

As I was gathering my score sheets to leave, I was again thanked for coming.  Wow.  No DQs in that bunch, and I will certainly be back for the rest of the series!  

Unfortunately, the third event has been moved to June 24th which is the same day as the first Tehachapi show. Since the Tehachapi series is CDS-rated, I'll probably have to miss the third Hansen Dam show.  Bummer ...

More on the show tomorrow.