SHOW DAY FOR TAMMY AND STRETCH

Show Day – Friday 11 June



As most of you know, a friend of mine was hosting a Lyle Jackson clinic this past weekend and to kick it all off she decided to have a fun show on Friday. Unfortunately there weren’t many participants (5 I think), but those that were there had a really great time. I think it’s safe to say that everyone enjoyed themselves, both participants and spectators alike.



This was my first reining experience. I haven’t even watched much reining. Actually, I’ve watched some but never really paid much attention to the finer details. So – first was the warm-up. There was only one ring so we were all warming up at the same time. The weather was hot (for us – about 22 and sunny) and seeing how neither Stretch nor I were in very good shape I didn’t do much of a warm-up. Plus I’m not that great with paying attention to where I’m going so I figured I’d be more of a hazard to everyone. Safety first you know! As I was dismounting I somehow managed to get my (or I should say Katrina’s) shirt stuck on the horn but didn’t realize it until I was suspended in mid air. Next thing I heard was a “rip” and down I came. Turns out the damage was minimal – I only ripped a button off, but it was the button that was in the centre of my cleavage. I was killing myself laughing.



Meanwhile Kayla’s “little friend” Davis had come to watch so the two of them were playing in the tack room of the trailer. She TOTALLY abandoned her job as roving reporting so we don’t have ANY interviews (what a hussy!).



So everyone has finished warming up and it’s time for the show to start. Katrina had told Lyle that it was just a fun show and her aim was to raise awareness of reining and to encourage people to take up the sport. Green as Grass was first so Stretch and I were the first to go. Before I entered the ring I asked Gord to “go and get Kayla out of the trailer because she wanted to watch me ride.” I didn’t realize until after I’d said it how horrible that sounded. Good thing everyone knows me – all they did was laugh instead of calling child protection services.



Off I go into the ring only to realize that I hadn’t a clue how to get to the starting point. I mean, in dressage it clearly says trot up centre line, halt at X and salute the judge. Well not in reining. It just says start in the centre facing left. So up the rail I’m walking, turn into the center-ish area and then turn around so I’m facing left. Or what I THOUGHT was left! I thought it was kind of weird that I’d start the pattern with my pixie facing the jugde, but what the heck – reiners are weird! Poor Lyle actually had to get up out of his chair, walk over to me and tell me that I would have been disqualified already if this had been a real show. Well, now I was REALLY confused … how the Bleeding heart could I be disqualified if I hadn’t even DONE anything yet?! He pointed out that the judging starts as you enter the ring (so apparently flinging your sunglasses over the rail once you suddenly realize you still have them on isn’t kosher) and that by me turning to face the wrong way I had gone off pattern. WRONG WAY? HUH? What could he possibly be talking about? So of course I had to ask. It went something like this …



ME “but I started off facing left just like the pattern said”

HIM “no, you came in, did a circle and then faced right. I’m sitting on the left side”

ME “no you aren’t – you’re on the right side of the ring”

HIM “no – you entered the ring at that corner (pointing to where I had come in) so as you came up the rail, the rail was on your RIGHT side, which means I would have been sitting on your LEFT side”

ME “oh”



I think he must of either felt really sorry for me or been scared shitless that I was some sort of psycho woman because he let me go back to the corner and start again. I somehow struggled through the pattern and had a GRAND time doing it. After my ride I had to go over to Lyle and “drop my bridle to him”. I wasn’t really sure what that meant so when he came over I asked him. Poor man! Anyways, I took off Stretch’s bridle (the new ONE EARED one that I had bought earlier that day) and when I went to put it back on I was so nervous that I forgot to put both sides behind his ear. So Lyle says so me, “poor Blackie (that’s what he calls Stretch) can’t see – make sure you put his bridle ALL the way on”.



So that was one of my 3 classes out of the way. I MUST HAVE BEEN FRIGGIN’ NUTS!



Luckily the next class was Memory Impaired so Katrina was able to read my pattern to me. I started off great because I knew the left side of the ring from the right side. And Katrina did a GREAT job calling my pattern. She translated it into “Tammy language” so it was easy to understand. It was pretty windy so once I couldn’t quite hear what she said so I sang out, “WHAT?” And then all the spectators called back to me and told me what I was supposed to do. It was quite comical! And this time I knew what to do to drop my bridle AND how to put it completely back on.



Last class for me was freestyle. I used the song ‘I GOTTA FEELING” and it’s perfect for a freestyle because it’s catchy and has lots of tempo changes. I got into position and nodded to the music person. As soon as the music started I knew that I had forgotten to restart my I-pod at the beginning the last time I’d listened to the song, so I missed the start of the song. Oh well – I just continued to do what parts of the freestyle I could remember (which weren’t’ a lot). It totally amazes me how I can totally draw a blank WHILE I’m riding. Even when we did spins I’d lose count of how many I had done. But it was lots of fun. I think that everyone liked watching me ride in my bikini!



There are lots of pictures floating around our horse community from this weekend and I’ll try to post them as they come my way. Becca has some really nice ones but was having trouble with FB last night trying to post them. Lord Gord was supposed to be taping all my classes but he didn’t realize he had to push a button to START the video recording. Luckily he found out before my freestyle so I will have a video posted of that. There’s also a clip of Lyle trying to teach me my right from my left!



So after all was said and done Lord Gord decided to move the trailer into a better spot because we were leaving it for the weekend. All the spectators were gone so it was just the participants left around the barn. Kayla decided she wanted to stay with me instead of going home with Fronie so I went into the barn to put Stretch away for the night and I ASSUMED that Lord Gord was going to keep track of his daughter. No good comes from assuming! I came out of the barn and asked if anyone had seen Kayla. Nobody had. Just at that moment I heard a THUD coming from the trailer. Then the lightbulb came on. I went over and when I opened the tackroom door there was Kayla – still in one piece. She looked at me and said, “where did I end up?” When she got out and saw that she had only moved about 20 feet (but had to turn around so it seemed like farther) she was VERY disappointed. I asked her what the thud sound was and she said she’d dropped her book. She’d been up on the higher saddle rack writing in her diary. Knowing her like I do, I can safely say that it wasn’t her book that went thud, it was her coming off the top rack. She’s just too proud to admit it!



So that was basically day one. More to follow once I get more pictures posted!



Stretch and I all dressed up. This is while I still had all my buttons! Do you like his new saddle pad?







Fronie, Stretch and I. Fronie was dressed up because she was a prop in Katrina's freestyle. That's a whole other story and I have the video to go with it!







Having a sip of Fronie's martini (gatorade). It was damn hot!

Bahaahaha :doglaugh.gif: I'm in stitches just reading that and it's only day one! I can only imagine what happens over the weekend.

Oh and I have done the same thing Kayla has in the back of a trailer. I didn't admit it either. So she is not alone. Tell her to stick to her guns!

LOL, And that is precisely the reasons I've never shown under saddle in a show.
Halter is all my memory can handle, walk towards judge, trot around to parking place and park.

Hi Tammy,your poor eyes must be out on stalks and your fingers,can you still feel them.Sounds like you had a funny first day,i'm always getting my left and right mixed up,if all else fails i just check my hands.Looks you had great weather too.And Kayla abandoned you, SHE"S MY KINDA GAL. You should have hired JOAN.Ha,ha look forwrd to the next installment.

i wish my pictures would upload.. the clinic was EXCELLENT.. i love lyle! you two looked amazing at the end of it :) hope he can come back someday!

I loved your outfit, and Stretches outfit too!! I didn't realize he was such a tall horse, or are you just that small????

At any rate you "LOOKED MARVOULOUS!" I'm enjoying the stories.. but I so want to see the videos..


I love Fronies outfit too... Orange has become my new favorite color.. at least for my 50's!

Diane - Stretch isn't tall at all (I think 14'2 or 14'3). I'm not quite 5 feet so he looks like the size of a friggin' warmblood when I'm with him!

Becca - are you still having trouble uploading? I too enjoyed Lyle very much. He was VERY understanding of my ideocyncrosies (not sure how to spell that big word meaning "nuts"). I'd definitely go to another clinic with him!

I love your stories - pics were great too! I thought Stretch was,er,Stretcccccch too! He looks so tall....but it doesn't matter - you guys are great together!!!! Wish I had the guts to play like that

Ahhh Tammy so you are vertically challenged much like myself, I fall in at 4' 11"...well unless I have shrunk with age...


I wish I had your gusto too... looks like you had so much fun!!

bryanne's going to try and upload them for me, sense my computer decided to be a bratt LOL..


oh i know how you feel; my terrible memory showed up in the clinic and he called me out on it multiple times.. least we can be eachothers competition for the memory fail class :P

Great stories!! Sounds like an awesome time!

YOUR LEFT HAND IF YOU EXTEND IT AND OPEN THE BIT BETWEEN YOUR THUMB AND THE FINGER BESIDE IT...WITH YOUR PALM FACING YOUR FACE.........IT BECOMES AN L THATS HOW I remember.....it used to signify Loser.......but I just use it for LEFT.................wish we could have been there to cheer you on and encourage you.............wo0oooooooooooo hooooooooooooo

JJ I think that your theory would also get me disqualified. Something about moving your hands off the reins ... One thing I DID learn this weekend is there are so many different ways to get zeroed, I just don't know where to start. Actually that's a lie - I DO know where to start now ...

What a hoot. Sounds like everyone had a blast. I love your new saddle and Stretch looks smashing in his red pad.

Tammy, I did the same thing at my first clinic with Buck.........my new safety vest got caught on the horn and I was dangling like a dying fish........Bowie had to lift me up cause nothing broke to release me.............almost killed by my new safety vest...........we are a pair.

Oh Tammy your stories kill me I'm glad you had fun.

Too cute!!! So glad that you had a blast. I am going to my first reining show in July and am scared poopless.

You look soooo tiny next to stretch!! Sounds like a great weekend even with a few mishaps

Elle K - try not to be nervous. The reining gang around here (although small) is just so darned happy to see some "new blood" that they don't really care if you know what you are doing or not! GO FOR IT!